Keeping You Safe
by Namerrak
Summary: As Leo is on his way home from his outside training, he runs into one of their biggest enemies. Fighting off his attackers, he unknowingly sets something in motion… Something that could change things forever.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi there again! Finally, the long awaited extended version of the somewhat Leo-centered chapters of my other fic The Things I Do, requested by yukio87. I've started to rewrite the whole thing, so don't be surprised if some things are a little bit different. For the ones who haven't read The Things I Do, please do, or be completely surprised by this story.

Without much ado, here's chapter one. Please leave a little comment if you liked it!

 **00000**

 **Chapter 1**

It was a pretty normal evening as Leo ran over the rooftops of New York City. His feet has found the perfect rhythm and contently he jumped up to land with a flip on a lower roof where he continued to run. For the past two and a half hours he had been training on an abandoned construction yard, pushing his agility skills to the test. Using everything in reach, he had urged himself further and further until his muscles started protesting too much. Knowing he could not perform a hundred percent tomorrow with a sore body, he had stopped in time.

As he ran home, he looked at his watch underneath his wrist bandage. Seeing the time, he gave a small grunt. Way too late. Even though he had let his brothers know he could take a while and they shouldn't wait for him, he had to get home to them. It wasn't really necessary, he knew that, but as the oldest he still had the feeling he had to take care of his younger brothers. Especially now their father was in another dimension to attend a funeral of an old acquaintance which was held at the Battle Nexus. Although Leo hated his family to be scattered around different dimensions, he still respectfully said his goodbyes as he saw his father disappear into the portal, hoping everything would go well for their master.

Deep in thought he jumped down a fire escape and silently he landed on the ground. Quickly he made his way through the dark alley and rounded a corner. Immediately he stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the sight in front of him. Within a second his katana were out and silently he berated himself for being so reckless, since he could not turn back unseen. Right in front of him stood John Bishop, accompanied by a small army of his government agents. According to all the technology they had with him, they were up to no good.

A little intrigued, and a bit surprised to see the turtle, Bishop took a step forward. "Well, well, well… If that isn't my good friend Leonardo," he said with a light smirk. Leo clenched his teeth by the laconic way Bishop was acting, and steadied his defending pose. Not taken aback by the action, Bishop continued to move forward. With the same grin he looked around him. "I am not used seeing you alone. Where are your brothers?" he asked, looking around curiously.

Knowing it was best not to answer him, Leo kept quiet and narrowed his eyes. With a satisfied dark chuckle Bishop stopped and straightened his back. "I see. Don't you know it's dangerous to go out alone?"

Leo grunted under his breath, trying to decide what was his best course of action. "What is your business, Bishop?" he finally asked, looking Bishop right in the eyes. Intrigued Bishop cocked his head slightly. "I think my business is least of your concern, Leonardo. I think the real question is… What is yours?"

When Leo didn't answer, Bishop looked the turtle over. He then shook his head as if he had decided something. Right before he turned around, he said, "I will give you a chance to move along, Leonardo." He turned his head back. "I'll suggest you'll take it."

A little surprised Leo lowered his katanas a bit. Bishop didn't want him here? That had bad news written all over it. Regripping his hilts, he tried to look casually past the agents to see what was going on in the background. About a dozen of agents were carrying laptops, which were connected with thick wires to a black box, which was standing on the broken asphalt of the abandoned street. Red moving light strokes indicated the box was on and working on something, and Leo wished Don was here right now. He would probably know what that thing was and what it did. And more importantly - how risky it could be.

"This is your final chance, turtle. If you don't turn away now, I'll make you regret you left your home tonight," Bishop said threateningly, pulling Leo out of his thoughts. Leo gave an inward groan, knowing what was coming now. He wasn't going to back off, since Bishop actually offered it to him, meaning the agent _wanted_ him to leave. This could only mean that whatever he was doing had to be dangerous. So Leo _had_ to take out the unknown box. Unfortunately the device was now heavily guarded by the agents, who were ready for an upcoming attack from him. Giving them a silent, observing glare, Leo came to the conclusion they weren't fully prepared for being discovered, but still it would take a lot to get through. He noticed a few weapons, of which nothing would be immediately lethal, so that was a blessing. Mentally seeking out his strategy he readied himself, preparing for the confrontation. "What are you planning, Bishop?" he asked in a low voice. Bishop turned his head to him. "I told you to turn away -"

"I've heard you," Leo interrupted fiercely. "But I'm not leaving." He moved his front foot a little. "I'll ask again: What are you planning?"

"Like I have said before: That is none of your business. Now move along or I will order my men to change their mission," Bishop said clear and slowly, making it more menacing. Trying not to be taken aback, Leo gritted his teeth together, making up his mind and strategy. He knew there was only one option: Strike fast, disable or destroy the device and don't take any unnecessary risks. A little more confident than he felt, he rose his katanas threateningly. "Make them," he said defiantly with a little tilt of his chin. At that moment he jumped up and attacked the closest agent, who fell unconscious to the ground in an instant.

Bishop gave a roar. "This was not meant to happen _tonight!_ " he hissed through gritted teeth. The mentioned to his armed men. "Change of plans! Take him down!" Bishop ordered, before turning away with an angry expression on his face. "But remember… Keep him alive."

Growling at the comment, Leo ducked for a punch to his head and with a quick jab to a pressure point he knocked out his opponent. He heard the unmistaken charging buzz of an electric weapon and he turned his head to the sound. He pushed himself off the ground and in mid-air he struck his katana down, slicing the gun in half. Even before the agent could react, the blue-banded sword hilt hit his head. Suddenly a bright beam shot over Leo's shoulder, scraping his neck painfully. He felt the white-hot pain caused by the burn, but he couldn't dwell on it for long. Quickly he jumped out of the way, using his swiftness to decrease the distance to the weird device that seemed so important since it was greatly secured. Crossing his swords, he used it as a shield to protect him from some very hard rubber projectiles from another kind of weapon, while turning his shell to another agent to stop a punch that was aimed for his gut. He lashed out with his knee, hitting his opponent hard under the chin and he caught the cracking noise of breaking teeth.

In his movement, his hand shot to one of the compartments of his belt to grab some shuriken when he heard the reloading of a gun. While he threw the stars towards the agent who didn't really had time to aim, but still had a good hit on his plastron making him stumble back a few inches, he was very relieved that the bullets of the weapons were made of rubber. Still painful as shell, but a little less lethal. Hearing a scream out of pain and the clattering of a weapon colliding with the asphalt, Leo knew his shuriken had hit his target and he focussed on his next attack.

Turning his head to see what was going on behind him, a hard fist collided with his jawbone. With an painfull and annoyed grunt he rolled out of the way as he defended himself from another attack from one of the agents.

Leo's eyes gazed quickly over the battlefield. _They're with too much._ Although he took out a couple, there were still a lot of opponents left who were standing in the way of him and the guarded device. As he had to avoid a metal pipe, and receiving a very nasty knee in his side, he tried to overhear Bishop and one of his men.

"Sir, it's almost not possible to execute two missions at once. It's Blue Target, or the intel," an agent with a very business-like voice said. Bishop shook his head, eying Leonardo closely. "We can. Get as much intel as you can. I'll take care of the turtle," he ordered, bringing his hand to his ear piece.

 _Blue Target? Seriously? That's suppose to be me? Over my dead body!_ Lashing out with his right arm, Leo crouched underneath a high kick and burst into a sprint. The moment the agents saw him running, the ones with the guns started shooting at him. Although he was very fast, he wasn't able to avoid everything and he felt the hard projectiles and the hot beams hitting his body, some of them which missed his shell broke the skin unmercifully, leaving large bloody bruises behind. _Shell... What did I get myself into?_ Leo thought, clenching his teeth as he tried to block out the pain.

"Stop shooting you idiots!" Bishop suddenly bellowed, standing protectively in front of the black device. "You are hitting the equipment!"

A little startled the agents lowered their guns, as Leo took this opportunity to move towards Bishop, the only martial arts-skilled agent which separated him from his objective. "Give up, Leonardo. Whatever you do, you are already mine," Bishop said as he prepared for the strike. Raising up his katana, Leo attacked, only to receive a hard kick right in his abdomen. Taking a little distance as he clutched his stomach, Leo estimated his chances. _I'm exhausted, but I'm so close…_ He got to his feet again and ran the back of his hand over his chin. _I can't give up now._ Taking a deep, but painful breath, he locked eyes with his enemy. "Let's get one thing straight, Bishop. I will _never_ be yours!" Hearing the approaching footsteps from his enemies, Leo shot forward again. With a furious roar he struck, his katana just missing Bishop's shoulder. With a satisfied smirk, Bishop turned his body and punched Leo straight on his liver, making him gasp out. Knowing there was no option and no time, Leo pushed himself to overcome the pain and managed to block the next attack which was aimed to his head. Swiftly he jumped out of the way, only to attack again instantly. His eyes followed the movement of Bishop's right arm, which lashed out to his side again.

 _That's it!_ In one movement Leo shed one katana and with the same hand he grabbed Bishop's arm, which had already collided with his painful side. Making sure Bishop couldn't go anywhere, he positioned his katana vertically and struck downwards, right through the agent's foot. With a scream of pain Bishop tried to stumble backwards, only to find out his foot was pinned down in the ground. "You cursed mutant!" Bishop yelled, the anger clear in his voice. "You will pay for this!" He brought his hand to his jacket and reached inside it. Leo didn't see it though, he already moved forward the moment he had brought his katana down. Knocking out an agent who made a desperate attempt to stop him, Leo targeted the black device. Gripping the hilt of his other katana, he unshed it and used all of his force to slice through the top. Immediately static noises were hearable and sparks flew out of the large gash he had created. The red light strokes disappeared and Leo breathed out shortly in relief. Suddenly he felt a very sharp pain on the back of his arm which spread out quickly to his shoulder and back. Slowly he turned his head to see what was going on. Bishop was still standing on the same spot with the same expression on his face, the only thing that was different, was the oddly shaped gun in his hand. "Oh yes, Leonardo. You will be mine," he said with his face twisted in a mix of anger and satisfaction. "You all will be mine."

Leo's hand went to his arm and he felt a small dart sticking out of it. Slightly panicking he ripped it out, seeing it was already empty. _This is not good._ He didn't know it was the dart, or the panic, but breathing seemed to get harder. _I've gotta get out._ At that moment he burst into a sprint, straight towards Bishop who did not expect this. "You blasted turtle. I will get - Argh!"

In the middle of his sentence Leo had grabbed his katana that was still stuck in the ground and ripped it out in an instant as he continued to run.

"Run all you want, Leonardo. It's no use!" he heard Bishop yell as he turned away from the agents in front of him, who already started to aim their weapons again now that there was nothing more to defend. Reaching into another compartment of his belt, he took out a smoke bomb and threw it behind him, hoping the fog would give him a little bit of a lead. Although the bullets and beams pierced the mist instantly and were still hitting target, Leo did hear the running footsteps fading out and he knew he was losing them. He kept on running through and the moment he skidded around another corner, his heart started to stutter violently, making him fall down on one knee. "This is so not good…" he breathed. Taking a couple of deep breaths, Leo tried to lower his heart rate. Noticing it didn't work, he grunted back a curse. "I need to get home. I need Donnie." With a groan he got up and a dizzy wave crashed over him. Stumbling forward a couple of steps, he leaned his hand against the wall for support as he tried to take over the feeling in his body again. Listening in as good as he could, he tried to hear the agents, but he couldn't hear. _Did I lost them already?_

As he felt his chest tighten, he knew he didn't had time to dwell any longer. Collecting all of his strength, Leo took off, trembling because of the effort it took him. A couple of alleys later, he finally saw the manhole he was looking for. Reaching out for his katana on his back, and missing two times to his displeasure, he finally unshed it and prodded the point between the lid and the street. "Come on..." he hissed as his vision blurred beyond recognition when he used his katana as a lever to lift the lid, since he knew his muscles were too weak to do it manually. Finally the lid popped open and he shoved it over so he could climb into the hole. At that moment his heart decided to jump again and everything went black. Leo felt himself fall backwards and with a painful crash he hit the ground in the tunnel. Moaning in agony he tried to focus as he scrambled on all fours. "Almost… home…" He took a step as pain flared through his body. "Not… givin' up..." Gritting his teeth together, he pushed himself forward and started to walk. Every step seemed to wear him out even more and he did not know how much longer he could go on.

In what seemed like an eternity he finally saw the entrance of the lair through the blurriness of his vision. Stumbling the last few feet, he fumbled with the code with his trembling hands. As he heard the door unlock and open, he gave a relieved smile, even as all of his pain seemed to overtake him in an instant. He did not even feel himself fall forward, or noticing how his vision went black. There was only one thought that mattered to him: _I'm home._

 **00000**


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hi there again! First of all, I want to wish all of you the best in 2016! May this year be your year!

Before you read further, a little head's up! This story is written with the 2003 version in mind, so it might be possible you will encounter something that doesn't fit in the 2012 series. Just something to keep in mind. I'm pretty sure it's readable with our recent bros in the center ;-).

For now I have a new chapter! Enjoy yourselves!

 **00000**

 **Chapter 2**

Snapping his eyes open, Raph looked around his room wondering where the uneasy feeling came from that woke him up. Reaching over, he turned on the light next to his hammock and let his eyes adjust to the brightness. Just when he wanted to stretch his arms, a weird thudding sound caught his attention. He stifled a yawn and he got out. Opening his bedroom door, he immediately noticed his younger brother's room was empty, meaning the genius was still in his lab. Still feeling a little uneasy, Raph walked out of their small hallway and entered the living room. The moment he wanted to walk over to Don's workplace, which was the most logical place to search for weird noises, he felt a cold streak of air, giving him shivers. His gaze went to the front door of the lair, which was open to his surprise. "That's weird…" he muttered and walked towards the door, intending to shut out the cold sewer air. Suddenly he stopped dead in his tracks. What he saw made his breath stuck in his chest. Leo was lying on his side on the floor in an awkward position, eyes closed and wounded heavily. For a moment Raph could only look in horror, until he bolted towards his fallen brother. Immediately he bend down and shook Leo's shoulders. "Leo!" There was no response, not even a hitch in breath. "C'mon, Fearless!" With trembling fingers Raph checked for a pulse. After a couple of agonising seconds he felt it - a fast, but steady heartbeat. "Leo! Wake up, bro!" he said, shaking the oldest' again, but this time a little bit harder. There was a moaning exhalation and suddenly Leo's breathing got worse. Deep, ragged breaths seemed to take a lot of effort and Raph's hands flew off his brother, not knowing what to do. "What tha shell? Leo?"

Suddenly he realised he had to take action. "Don!" he yelled, not wanting to leave his brother. "Donnie!"

A couple of seconds later the very tired face of the purple-banded turtle peeked out of the lab entrance. "What?" Don said during a large yawn, his eyes shifting to the open door, not really progressing what was going on.

"Get yer shell in 'ere!" The urgency in Raph's voice instantly woke up the genius and he rushed out of his lab. "Why's the door open? What's goin -" Seeing his oldest brother sprawled out unmoving on the floor, breathing harshly, he stopped his sentence. In a moment he was crouched down next to Raph, eyes wide in fear. "What happened?" he asked as calm as he could, checking Leo's vitals quickly. Raph shook his head. "I-I dunno. I found him like this."

With an unsatisfied frown on his face, Don shifted his position. "Help me get him properly on his back," he said curtly. "Be careful though." Together they moved their brother, being careful not to make matters worse.

"What's wrong with him?" Raph asked as Don was still checking up on Leo. Don didn't answer immediately. "I don't know," he said in all honesty. "But it seems like he got attacked or ambushed and through a miracle made it back home, only to collapse here."

Raph's eyes narrowed. "The ones who did this are gonna pay!" He wanted to get up, but Don put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't! I really need you here right now."

"But -"

"Please, Raph." Don sounded desperate. Looking longingly at the lair's entrance, Raph huffed and got down again. "What can I do?"

Don gave a small sigh. "Keep watch while I get some supplies." He got up and swiftly walked back to his lab. Surprised Raph watched him and shifted his gaze to the large closet next to him where a first aid kit was lying on top of one of the shelves. "Don! There's a kit right 'ere!" he called after his brother. Not getting a response, he let it go and watched his only older brother again. He put his hand on Leo's chest, eyes narrowed in concern. "What happened, bro?" he asked softly. He didn't even noticed Don came back, until he sat down next to him. Raph didn't see a first aid box. "Ya fergot tha medical kit. Shall I -"

"Don't need it now," Don cut in as he took the sterile plastic off a syringe. "His external injuries aren't life threatening and can be addressed later. I'm more concerned about his extremely high heart rate." He pushed the needle in one of the visible veins in Leo's arm and drew some blood. "And his irregular breathing…"

"How bad is it?" Raph called out alarmed. He looked at Leo and saw the uneven rise and fall of his brother's chest. His gaze went up and saw Leo's face. From what he could see his only older brother was in pain, and he hated it. He hated the fact it happened, he hated the fact he didn't know what it was and he hated he couldn't do anything about it.

"It's definitely not good, but could be worse," Don said to him, storing away the now full syringe. "But before that happens we need to get that heart beat under control. At this rate it's putting too much stress on his body."

"And how are we gonna do that, genius?" Raph said angrily. He didn't want stories, he wanted to do something. To help his brother.

"For now I need everyone present. Can you wake up Mikey?" Don asked. Suddenly Raph turned to Don, an annoyed expression on his face. "How can ya be so friggin' calm, Don?" Raph suddenly fell out. "Someone attacked yer brother an' yer so damn calm about it. Aren't you -"

"Of course I am, Raph!" Don interjected fiercely. "I can also see the situation and I can see it's not good. Yes, deep inside I am panicking and I am angry, but we can't lose our heads now. That's not what Leo need right now! He needs medical attention and no one can give that while distraught. So get your head in the game and help me."

Taking in Don's outburst, Raph nodded. "Yer right. I'm sorry," he apologised as he stood up. "I'll get Mike." Quickly he walked to the front door and closed it before the cold would make matters worse. "Jus' watch Leo." With that he ripped his eyes off his brother and hurried towards Mikey's bedroom.

Watching his brother walking away in a swift pace, Don bit his lip and looked at Leo again. "Come on, bro. Wake up," he said quietly, knowing very well that was not going to happen any time soon. Although he had no clue what happened exactly, he had a pretty good guess. When they'd turned Leo on his back earlier, he had noticed a weird looking bruise on the back of Leo's upper arm, way darker than his other bruises. After that he was occupied by the syringe, so he didn't have time to look at it, but examining the bruise now, he noticed it was something way different. The almost black mark looked rather painful, but the thing that worried him the most was the tiny speck in the middle. Giving a defeated sigh, he knew there was only one explanation: His brother had to be injected with some fluid or something to take him out. According to the round bruising around the mark, probably a dart from a gun. Problem was… He had no idea what was in it. He picked up the syringe with Leo's blood and looked at it, hoping a microscopic research would give him some fast results.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up, seeing the worried frown of his red-banded brother. Right behind him was his youngest sibling, who was looking very concerned at Leo.

"Shall I move him to tha infirmary?" Raph asked, already kneeling down. Don nodded glumly. "Yes, that would be best."

Very carefully Raph slid his arms under Leo's shoulders and the back of his knees. "Jeez, he's freezin'," he mumbled and proceed to stand up, which was rather difficult with 220 pounds of muscle in his arms. Quickly he regained his balance and followed Don towards the infirmary, with Mikey trailing behind.

Once inside the infirmary, Don pointed at the cot. "Lay him down, please." He walked further towards the small desk in the corner and took some supplies from the shelves, putting it down next to the microscope which was in one of the corners of the desk. "Mike, can you get some blankets from the pantry?"

Mikey gave a distracted nod without looking away from the prone form of his oldest brother who was struggling just to take a breath. The brother who was in his eyes unbeatable, who was always there for him and who -

"Mikey!"

In an instant Mikey whipped up his head, looking up into the gentle eyes of Don and restored himself. "I'm going, I'm going," he mumbled quickly before running off.

Seeing the youngest exiting the room, Raph shook his head as if regretting something. "Maybe we should've let 'im sleep." He looked back at his older brother and made sure he couldn't fall off the cot. Reaching out, he took a pillow from the only non-folding chair in the room. Gently he lifted Leo's head and placed the soft cushion underneath it.

Don gave a soft snort. "Are you serious? Really, the last thing I want is a seriously angered Mikey for shutting him out." He hold up the small glass slides with a drop of Leo's blood in between it in front of the artificial light. Carefully he laid it under the objectives of the microscope and modified the lens. "Remember when I dislocated my shoulder a couple of years back, when I wanted to install that weather station on the top of the drainage system? Both you and Mikey were extremely pissed off when we didn't wake you when that happened and heard about it the next day," he continued as he peered into the eyepiece, simultaneously turning the knobs to adjust the focus. "You kept cursing and yelling against Leo and Splinter, while Mikey gave them the angry silent treatment."

"Fine, whateva'," Raph gave in. Curiously he looked at Don, who was sitting on his stool with his back towards him. "Whatcha doin' by tha way?"

Don gave a humm. "Examine Leo's blood," he said distractedly as he turned the fine adjustment knob. "And there is something in here, but I can't place it."

Raph's eyes widened a bit. "There's somethin' in his blood?" he exclaimed. Quickly he turned back to Leo, who was breathing harshly on the cot, his face pale.

"There's what?" Mikey's anxious voice came from behind a pile of blankets. He dropped them on the floor, revealing his frightened face. "He's going to be okay, right?" he asked, looking from Leo to Don, to Raph and back to Don. Quickly he jumped over the blankets and went to the cot just to see his big brother up close. Almost instantly he regretted it and he hated the way Leo was lying there. It just wasn't right.

"Of course he will. It's Leo we're talking about," Don reassured his brothers in a most calm tone, standing up from his stool. He took the glass slides from between the stage clips of the microscope and grabbed the syringe with Leo's blood. He also moved towards the bed and did a quick check, noticing nothing had changed much in the few minutes they were in the infirmary. "I need to do some research in the lab to figure out what we're dealing with. Can you guys stay and make sure he will be alright?"

Mikey's eyes went big. "You're leaving? But what if he gets sicker? Or what if he wakes up? Or what if he stops breathing? He can't, can he? Please tell me -" In the midst of his rambling he got smacked up the head by Raph. "Quit it, numbskull. Yer not helpin'."

Rubbing his head with a half-scowl, Mikey gave a pout. "I'm just worried," he said softly. Don put a soothing hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Mikey. I'm two doors away. But when anything changes, call me immediately."

"Sure," Raph answered, as Mikey just nodded despondent. Giving Mikey's shoulder a firm comforting squeeze, Don turned around and left the infirmary, leaving his three brothers in silence. Suddenly Mikey looked up in slight panic. "Blankets!" he called out and scrambled back to the pile he had dropped on the floor earlier. "How much does he need? I've got like twelve!" he said as he collected all the covers back in his arms, practically ready to drop them all on Leo. Raph gave a grunt. "Stop panickin', ya dipstick! He's gonna be fine," he fell out, although he wasn't convinced himself. Seeing his little brother with big, sad eyes looking at him from behind the blankets, he softened up. "Just two will be fine." He stood up and grabbed two sheets from the top. "Throw tha rest in tha corner an' help me cover him up."

Quickly Mikey disposed himself of the pile and followed Raph back to the bed, who had already spread out one of the covers over Leo's still body. Together they made sure Leo was tucked in.

"Do you know what happened?" Mikey asked in a small voice once they were satisfied. Raph gave a small shrug. "No. But whoever did it is gonna pay," he said threateningly. Not really hearing the last part, Mikey gave a sigh. "It's not fair."

Right before Raph wanted to make a sarcastic remark, Mikey continued. "Leo's been badly hurt more than once, it's not suppose to happen again."

Raph casted his eyes down and understood the way Mikey was thinking. Yes, it wasn't fair. But still… Since when did the things that happen to them were ever fair? He looked up when Mikey started talking again. "He's always there for us, you know. He's the one who brings comfort, who stays calm. The man with the plan. The one who keeps his head cool in desperate times. The bro we all need. And now he's -" Mikeys searched for words. "Now he's not there."

Although Raph would never would say it out loud, Mikey was right. He also needed the level-headed leader, the bossy know-it-all whom he could argue with without question, but above all… He needed his big brother who could bring consolance through simple words and gestures. Thinking Mikey's words over again, he realised his little brother actually needed that kind of comfort. Inwardly he gave a small sigh, because it really wasn't his style, and moved a bit closer to his little brother. Gently he wrapped his arm around the youngest shoulder and gave him a tight one-armed hug. "It's gonna be okay, bro. Don's workin' on it an' will find a cure or a solution or somethin'." He felt Mikey's shoulders relaxing and he knew he was doing well. "Leo's gonna be fine. Like always. This is nothin' in comparison to that Christmas night, so don't worry."

Mikey nodded. "Yeah, you're right… Thanks, Raph."

Flashing a quick smile, Raph removed his arm, but not before giving Mikey a playful rub over his head.

He walked away and grabbed a first aid kit from one of the shelves. "Now help me ta patch 'im up a bit. Tha last thing we need is an infection or anythin'," he said as he put the kit on the table Don had used earlier. He threw some rubbing alcohol over his shoulder, which was caught deftly by his younger brother. With his hands full of supplies he walked back and disposed them on the unused parts of the bed. His gaze went to his unconscious brother, who had an uncomfortable frown on his face and was still breathing oddly. Reaching out, Raph put an unsteady hand on Leo's shoulder. _Ya betta be okay, bro. I need ya..._

 **00000**

I hope you liked it! Please leave a review :). I love those :D


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you guys for the kind reviews! Keep them coming! :D

 **00000**

 **Chapter 3**

With a defeated sigh Don placed his elbows on his desk and let his head rest in his hands. For the past time he had analysed Leo's blood sample and he could make one conclusion: Leo was poisoned by a fairly strong drug cocktail causing all of his muscles to constrict rapidly, especially the ones with lots of veins attached to it, like the heart. At some point Leo's body would get too worn out until it just shuts down. According to what Don knew, he estimated Leo didn't have long without the right cure. And that was the problem…

Although the drug was a pretty simple mixture which he could separate easily to analyse the single constituents, there was one petty little combination that was a major problem. Don had never seen a mixture like it and had no clue how to examine it further. If he did not undergo the right steps, the right cure could never be found. And Don had no clue what the exact right steps were. Not even with his knowledge. One little mistake and he was the one killing his brother.

He looked up and went through his notes again. The different formulas written in his unusual sloppy handwriting seemed to dance in front of him, mocking him for his ignorance. Not getting any wiser, he shoved the papers roughly away from him and closed his eyes tiredly. His brilliant brain started to rethink the steps he took earlier, desperately trying to figure out if he missed something. But whichever scenario he thought of, the conclusion stayed the same… Whether he did something or not, Leo would not make it if it was for him.

Slamming his fist on his desk, Don let out a frustrated cry. He had never felt so useless before. Although his primary expertise laid in mechanics, he had spend years gaining knowledge about medical issues, so he could help his family when it was necessary. And he had proven himself multiple times by stitching up gashes, set broken bones, treating a concussion or two, taking care when one's ill... But now all of his understanding of the medical field was worthless! If only he had spend more time on chemistry instead of nursery, first aid and surgery, he could help his brother. But now he was failing him to a great extent.

Knowing he could not do this by himself, Don grabbed his phone and entered April's number, hoping she could help him get further.

 **I**

Two rooms away, Raph and Mikey were sitting silently next to the cot where Leo was lying on. Although Leo kept breathing harsh and labored, he didn't seem to get worse to the relief of his watching brothers. Problem was, he wasn't getting better either.

With growing concern for his only older brother, Raph couldn't help himself from getting fidgitive. He hated to sit on the sidelines like this with nothing to contribute. He needed to do something, he needed to get out and chase down the bastards who hurt his brother. No one gets away hurting his family. No one…

He noticed Mikey had also troubles sitting still. The youngest was deep in thought, watching over the oldest as his fingers tapped rapidly on the aluminium frame of his chair. Listening to it for a couple of minutes, Raph got extremely nervous and suddenly it got too much. "Fer cryin' out loud, Mike. Stop freakin' movin' or I'll break yer fingers!" he fell out, standing up angrily. Immediately Mikey froze in his seat, looking at his red-banded brother with big eyes. "I'm sorry," he said in a small voice, quickly putting his hands in front of him so Raph could see he wasn't doing anything anymore. "I just hate waiting like this."

Raph sunk back in his chair, a guilty feeling washing over him. "I know. Me too, bro," he said in a much softer voice. Mikey gave a sad chuckle, accepting the unsaid apology. "Heh, I guess we're all a bit on edge."

"A bit?" Raph asked with a grin. "That's an understatement."

Mikey shrugged and put his elbows on his upper legs, slumping his shoulders. With a tired sigh he propped up his head in his hands. "You think Donnie's making progress?" he asked as he watched his older brother shifting his worried expression to the frail form of Leo on the bed. After a moment of hesitation Raph nodded. "Of course. It's Don we're talkin' about," he said, leaving no room for discussion. "He knows exactly what he's doing. Whatever's in Leo's blood, Don will figure it out."

Flashing a smile, Mikey's eyes moved to Leo. "So…" he started unsure. "How do you think something got in his blood? You think someone did it? On purpose?"

Raph raised an eye ridge. "Well, that's the only explanation, right? It's really unlikely Leo did this to 'imself," he replied matter-of-factly. Mikey looked at his brother with a sad expression. "So he's been poisoned by someone." It wasn't a question, yet Raph nodded and an angry expression got on his face. "Yeah, someone poisoned him, attacked him, hurt him... And that someone's gonna pay. Hard."

Confirming Raph's words with a small nod, Mikey turned his head and looked at the door of the infirmary. They had closed it so it would be warmer for Leo, since his body temperature was way too low the moment they had moved him to the cot. Luckily his temperature went up quickly the moment Raph and Mike were taking care of his wounds, but Raph had noticed it went a little too fast. At this rate a fever should kick in soon and that was definitely not what Leo needed at this moment. His defence system was already working overtime just to fight off the weird stuff in his blood Don had discovered. Although Raph tried to keep it quiet, Mikey knew exactly what was going on. And his worry rose by the minute. "I don't like this," he started, giving his ailing brother another look. "Leo's not doing okay... What if Don might n-" he started, but got cut off roughly by Raph, his anger not yet subsided. "Damn it, Mikey! I don't wanna hear any of yer 'what ifs'! Things are gonna work out like they always do, so just…" Trailing of, Raph leaned back in his seat, matching Mikey's semi-slumped posture as he rubbed his hands tiredly over his head. "Just shut up," he finished in a an almost begging sigh. Mikey looked at Raph, a bit put off, but understanding frown on his face. "I just wanted to ask if Don might need help," he said in a small voice. He saw Raph look up with wide eyes from misunderstanding, and swiftly he looked another way. "But you're right. He knows what he's doing. We'll only be in the way," he said quickly, staving off Raph's guilt towards himself. Knowing his brother, Raph could explode from culpability, frustration and his own uselessness any minute now and that was not what any of them needed right now. So like most times, Mikey tried to calm his brother down by averting his emotions directly to himself, although this time in a more subtle way - by words instead of actions. Seeing it worked slightly, Mikey gave his brother his trademark smile to push further. "The only negative 'what if' you're getting from me, is 'what if Leo doesn't like the movie I'm gonna pick out to watch when he wakes up'."

Giving a soft snort, Raph shook his head by his brother's way of dealing with his feelings. Appreciating the gesture, he gave Mikey a smile of his own. "We jus' make him watch it, whether he likes it or not."

"Heh, yeah. He doesn't have much of a choice," Mikey chuckled. For a moment it was quiet. Mikey reached out his hand and laid it carefully on Leo's bandaged arm which was laying on top of the blankets. "All you have to do is wake up, bro." He waited before continuing. "Hey, if you wake up now, you can pick a movie. How 'bout that?"

"Yeah right, Mike. How many times did we actually heard that? Whatever's tha case, yer tha one pickin' anyways," Raph commented as Mikey looked up to him with an insincere scowl. "I just have great taste in movies you all appreciate."

Raph raised an eye ridge. "Sure, bro," he began sarcastically. "As long as ya believe it yerself…"

Mikey stuck out his tongue and turned to the ailing turtle on the bed. "Leo! Raph's mean. Do something," he said in his innocent little brother voice, like he used many times before. Most of the times Leo would take Mikey's side and told Raph to back off, but this time his big brother remained quiet. Mikey gave a disheartened sigh. "Just wake up, bro. We need you," he said softly in an almost pleading voice. Still not getting a response, both Mikey and Raph grew silent. Soon the only sound was the ragged breathing of Leo, which didn't seem to get better.

 **I**

As Raph and Mike studied the irregular breathing pattern of his older brother for another thirty minutes, they suddenly heard some sounds coming from their living room. They both looked at each other with raised eye ridges. "You think that's Don?" Mikey asked. In response Raph shrugged. "I guess."

Mikey stood up since he was closest to the door. "Stay with Leo," he instructed. "I'll see if he needs help." He waited for Raph's casual nod and walked to the door and opened it in a swift movement. "Yo, Donnie! Need some - Oh shell..."

Alarmed Raph looked up by the fretful tone of Mikey's voice. The moment he wanted to ask what was going on, there was a soft metallic sound, like something was thrown on the floor. He saw Mike turn his head, eyes wide. "Raph! Protect Leo! Get down!" the youngest yelled as he started to move his arms up, but it was too late. Before Raph could register what was happening an enormous explosion filled the immediate area. In an instant Mikey was swept from his feet by the impact and he crashed hard into the cabinets on the other side of the infirmary. With a groan he fell on the floor just a few feet from Raph. With big eyes full of disbelief Raph stared at the still body of his youngest brother, as blood already started to stain the floor around his head. "Mike?" he managed to whisper, but he was still unable to move. Suddenly realisation sank in. Someone who didn't belong there was in the lair, attacking them with brute force. In an instant he was on his feet, his sai twirling in his fingers. Quickly he shot forward, stepping in to protect both of his injured brothers. "Mike?" he asked again, this time a little harder. "Mikey, wake up, bro!" Not getting an answer, Raph dared to sneak a look behind him. His youngest brother was out cold, but was breathing normally. Hoping the head wound and obvious burn marks he sustained wouldn't put him in immediate danger, Raph looked back in front of him. "Don't worry, bros. I'll keep ya safe."

With a roar he jumped forward and stood protectively in front of the door of the infirmary. A little surprised he let his eyes take in what he saw in front of him. An army of government agents was standing in their living room, weapons at the ready. How in tha world? There were so many questions he wanted to ask, but his surprise instantly turned to anger when he put the pieces together. "Are ya the bastards who hurt Leo? And my little brother?" He clenched his sai in his fists. The moment he opened his mouth to yell more, he suddenly heard an amused chuckle coming from their front door.

"Very good, Raphael," the voice of Bishop filled the room, making Raph even more angry than he already was. "You!" he spat out. "Yer a dead man, ya hear me!"

With a grin on his face, Bishop walked further into the living room, limping every few steps. "Don't make promises you can't fulfill, Raphael." He looked around the lair amused. "This is a nice place you have here. Sorry I had to ruin the nice painting job with my eh - desperate measures. I do hope Michelangelo is not too injured… Or dead," he said with mocking insincerity. "It was not my intention to get rid of him like this. I had other plans with the young one."

Raph almost trembled with anger and hate. "Don't ya freakin' talk about ma brother! I'm gonna kill ya if it's the last thing I'm gonna do!"

Bishop raised his eyebrows and put his hands on his back. A cocky grin lit up his face. "Do you really think you stand a chance against me?" he said slowly. "I've took out two of your brothers already. It is just a matter of time before I will get to Donatello." His head turned towards the heavy lab door and grinned. With a satisfied chuckle he looked back at Raph. "You cannot protect all of them at the same time."

Suddenly the lab door burst open and Don ran out, his bo in front of him. "He doesn't have to!" he yelled as he charged towards Bishop. At the last moment Bishop stepped aside, avoiding a hard blow of the wooden weapon. Gritting his teeth he saw Don jump back and land next to his brother.

Feeling a little more confident and calm now Don was here, Raph took in a decent fighting pose. "Figured out what's wrong with Fearless?" he asked softly to gain information. After a small pause Don answered. "Poison, but I'm working on it. April's coming to help and I bet she's taking Casey with her."

Raph nodded. "Good."

"What's with the explosion? Leo's fine?" Don asked in turn, adjusting the grip on his staff. Raph gave a snarl. "Leo's still bad, but did not worsen, although maybe a fever. Explosion was prob'ly a grenade or somethin'. Took out Mike. He's out cold."

"What?!" Don exclaimed as he looked behind him through the open door of the infirmary. There he saw Leo still lying down on the cot, fighting hard just to breath. As his gaze went further, he saw his youngest brother unconscious and injured on the floor, a disturbing puddle of blood around the top of his head.

"This will be the end for you meddling turtles," Bishop suddenly spoke. He turned to his agents. "Remember what I have instructed. I want them alive." He turned his back towards the brothers. "In every sense of the word..."

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	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So, I have to say I'm a little disappointed by the lack of response. Is it me? If so, please tell my so I can improve myself. I'm really trying my best.

Really, I love writing, but I love it even more when people actually read it. It is said that it's better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self, but honestly... I don't really believe it. Without a good public a story doesn't stand a chance.

Well, I hope the next chapter will have a bigger response :). Please enjoy yourself!

 **00000**

 **Chapter 4**

" _This will be the end for you meddling turtles," Bishop suddenly spoke. He turned to his agents. "Remember what I have instructed. I want them alive." He turned his back towards the brothers. "In every sense of the word..."_

Raph angrily clenched his sai. "Yer gonna regret burstin' in here, Bishop! Cuz unlike what yer sayin', _you_ ain't comin' out here alive!" With a roar he jumped towards the middle of the agents, who were waiting for orders from their leader. Even before they realised what was happening, Raph had taken out two and was already setting his vision on the next one.

Registering the fight fast, Don took a few steps back towards the infirmary. "Raph! Take out the guys with the projectile firearms first!" he yelled. Raph grunted. "Wha'?" he asked, as his sai sliced through a muscled arm.

"The big black guns with the open grip! Take 'em out first!" Don elaborated. Seeing Raph did what he told him to, Don dared to turn away from the fight for a sec. Reaching the door of the infirmary, he sneaked a look inside, his heart growing heavy of the scene in front of him. Both of his brothers were out of commission and by the looks of it, it wasn't good. Leo was still struggling to breath and had started to shiver, which caused Don to worry even more. The poison was working fast and at this moment all of Leo's muscles had to be infected. Don was glad it was just a small tremble for now, but he also knew that in time the muscles could start spasming, which was practically the end of the line. Leo was already fighting so hard to stay alive, there was no way his body could go through more.

His eyes shifted to Mikey and he quickly analyzed the extent of the damage on his head as good as he could. He could not see the entire wound, since his brother was lying partly on top of it, but the blood on the floor and the purple bruising around the injury, were telling enough. Along with the fact that the youngest wasn't conscious and he was caught up in an explosion which the burn marks clearly indicated, Don concluded Mikey had to have a concussion at the least, not to mention other injuries Don couldn't see at the moment. Problem was, he could not estimate how severe it was from his position. The doctor and older brother in Don told him to go to the youngest, to take care of him, but he couldn't with the fight going on in the background. All he could do right now was to protect them by holding off the government agents and send April to the lab to work on the cure and to take care of both his brothers once she got here. Which she couldn't do at the same time. _Shell..._

"So, Donatello. How is Leonardo doing?" the mocking voice of Bishop suddenly sounded not too far from him. Immediately Don grabbed the door handle and shut the door close, so his injured brothers wouldn't be directly in harm's way. Irked he turned to face his enemy, who had regained his straight posture. When Don didn't answered, he continued. "I bet my little mixture works pretty well by the looks of it." His eyes shifted quickly at the closed door before fixing themselves on the turtle again. Angry Don gritted his teeth together. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing he didn't deserve," Bishop said matter-of-factly. "He disrupted my activities, something that was planned months ago." His face twisted into an angry scowl. "And now I'm set back eight months! All my hard work, right down the drain because of that blasted katana-wielder!"

Don gave a proud grin. "Heh, that's Leo for you."

Bishop took a calming breath. "But not for long. He's fading fast, isn't he?" He took a little step back to avoid one of his falling agents whose nose seemed broken in several places. Without looking he reached out, and grabbed the unused laser gun out of the hands of the now unconscious agent. Indifferently he continued as he prepared the gun. "Did you find a cure yet?"

Don narrowed his eyes, holding his bo staff so tight his knuckles turned white. He wasn't the one who got angry quickly, but this man was seriously pushing him to his limit. Smirking Bishop aimed the gun at Don's chest. "I thought so. I know you are missing one constituent. And that's not something you can get your hands on pretty quickly. Come to think of it, I don't even think you identify it in the limited amount of time your brother has." His finger went to the trigger, knowing that if Donatello moved, the laser would cut right through the door of the infirmary. "You are mine, freak," Bishop sniggered as he pulled the trigger. Instead of a fire hot beam coming out of the barrel, nothing happened. Surprised Bishop looked down at the weapon and pulled the trigger a few more times. "What's this? Why isn't this working?"

In turn Don gave Bishop a smirk of his own. "You're on my turf now, Bishop. You really think I didn't have any precautions? All I had to do was to amplify my EMP-biodrivers to dismiss the energy-based weapons. You don't stand a chance barging in here with technology."

Bishop dropped the gun. "Clever," he commented in all honesty, then got an evil grin on his face. "Too bad your technical skills are insufficient to keep your brother alive."

That was the straw that broke the camel's back. With a roar Don charged at Bishop with all speed he possessed. Striking in blind fury, he felt how his staff brushed the fabric of the agent's suit. Quickly he turned his body, only to see Bishop stepping away from him with great carelessness. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I hit a sensitive subject?" he said with a wicked grin. At that moment a hard fist collided with his jaw, making him stumble to the side.

"Ya friggin' bastard!" Raph roared, his sai ready to attack. Instead he quickly turned to his brother. "Come on, Donnie! It's great yer keepin' Four-Eyes busy, but I need some help!" He rubbed the back of his hand over his cheek to wipe away some blood coming from a nasty cut. Don nodded. "I know! But I've got to protect the infirmary and the lab, too."

Raph quickly glanced over to the closed doors, before ducking to avoid a kick to the head. "This sucks! When's Case gonna be here?"

"I don't know, Raph. I just called April like forty minutes ago. I expect them any minute now!" Don answered as he twirled his bo over his head to create some distance between him and some agents who followed Raph to their location. He heard his brother grunt. "What about Splinter?"

"You know he's in another dimension, Raph! I can't possibly reach him!" Don said a little frustrated as he swept his staff over the floor, making an enemy lose his footing. He quickly glanced over to the door of the infirmary, which was still shut tight. Although the agents didn't barged in yet, this was still taking too long. Don needed to know how his other brothers were doing. They both needed him by their side - He had to take care of them.

"Shell! Since when does he leave us so much alone?" Raph yelled as he jammed his sai forward, missing the agent he was aiming at. Don gave an amused snort, focussing on the fight again. "Since we're old enough to take care of ourselves."

The moment Raph wanted to answer, a strong hand from behind grasped his wrist tightly. "I think your rat has made a big mistake," Bishop grinned as he twisted Raph's hand violently. Immediately Raph let out a painful scream while the hold forced him on one knee to prevent his elbow from bending the wrong way. With an evil smirk Bishop set his foot in the back of Raph's bend knee, so there was no way he could escape.

"Raph!" Don yelled as he tried to make his way through the agents, who've set their eyes on him now Raph was in Bishop's hold. He thrust his bo forward to make some room, as he used his elbow to block a strike from the side. Swinging his staff back in a circular motion, Don lifted it up over his head while crouching down a bit so the ends were at head height. Noticing his enemies were slightly pulling back, he took his chance and jumped up, preparing to hit Bishop with full force. Just too late he realised Bishop's knowing grin and he knew they were going to regret this. In one motion the government agent gave a last firm jerk on Raph's arm as a soft crack and scream resonated through the living room, while twisting his body to give a perfectly executed roundhouse kick to take his incoming enemy down. With a crash Don landed right on his shell, as pain screamed from his side where Bishop's steel-reinforced heel had collided with his body. Winded he scrambled for his bo, since he didn't have the luxury to recover properly. Regaining his breath a bit, he opened his eyes, only to see several agents hovering over him, menacing looks on their faces.

"Capture them," Bishop instructed. "I'll see if the other two could still prove useful for me." With firm steps he walked over to the door of the infirmary.

"No! Get tha shell away from there!" Raph yelled angrily, trying to squirm out of a vicious hold of several agents. His face had turned into a painful grimace since his arm hurt like shell.

"They're already down, Bishop! Back off! You've got us already!" Don tried while being forced on his knees as his arms were twisted behind his back violently. Using all of his force he tried to get loose, only to be hit with a nasty knee in his already painful side again. He groaned, but recovered quickly, solely caring for his brothers in the other room. "Bishop!" He watched how the agent ignored him by laying his hand on the door handle and pushed down, only to discover the door was locked. Bishop jiggled the handle a bit, trying to unjam the door. When it didn't work, he slammed his fist on the wood. "This place keeps disappointing me," he mumbled while taking two steps back, preparing himself to kick down the door, even with his injured foot.

"Bishop!" Raph yelled angrily. "I promise I'll make ya pay fer everythin'!" He used all of his strength to get out of the grasp of the eight agents holding him down. He had to get up, he had to get Bishop away from his defenceless brothers. As he twisted his body, he suddenly felt a strong arm around his neck in a chokehold, preventing him from moving too much. "Get tha shell away from there! Yer dead!" he tried hoarsely as a final attempt.

There was a loud crack as Bishop's foot collided with the wood. At the second attempt the door finally slammed open, revealing the two brothers who were still out cold.

Quickly both Raph as Don glanced inside, slightly relieved Leo was still breathing, but very concerned about the state he was in. The sight of an unconscious Mikey who had not moved in the past time did not make the situation any better.

"Well, well, well. What a beautiful sight," Bishop grinned, looking from Leo on the cot, to Mikey on the floor. "That's how I like my mutants: Hurt and right for the taking." He stepped into the room.

"No! No, get away from them!" Don yelled in panic, twisting and turning violently. "Leave them alone!"

Raph gave a frustrated roar. "I'll friggin' kill ya!"

Ignoring his now captured enemies, Bishop first walked over to the cot where the battered and bruised form of Leo laid down. He gave the turtle a glare. "You stupid mutant," he started so softly only Leo could hear it if he were conscious. "You had to play the hero, didn't you?" He shook his head in disappointment. "I do hope you realise you've set me back a large amount of time by that foolish action of yours?" He gave a small calming sigh and looked the oldest over. "But what's done is done. At least I've returned the favor." Silently Bishop analyzed the damaged done by his poison. Leo's deep, ragged breathing pattern didn't seem to faze him. Instead he put two fingers in Leo's neck to feel the racing heartbeat. "Well, I think operation Blue Target was a success, although it wasn't planned tonight. Let's hope for you your brothers will cooperate." Still not taking notice of the yells and threats from the living room, he withdrew his hand and gave a pleased nod. "But next time you should listen to me in the first place and just walk away." Slowly he took a few steps to the right, where he looked down to the other unconscious turtle. "And you…" He paused for a second. "I think I've underestimated you, young one," he mumbled. "If it wasn't for you this operation would be over in mere minutes and I've already would have what I was coming for." He shook his head as his lips turned into a grim line. "But you had to ruin my stealthy entrance by opening that door and just keep standing there? You've lost me my chance for good leverage." With force he slid his foot underneath Mikey's plastron and with some effort he kicked him half on his back, revealing a large bloody gash and the dark purple bruising on the side of the youngest' head. Mikey didn't even stir.

"Very heroic of you, but if it was to take the first hit to protect your brothers, you've failed, Michelangelo." He knelt down next to Mikey's head. "They're all mine now." He reached out and laid his hand on top of the youngest' head, not caring for the blood that instantly smudged his hand. Almost carefully he turned Mikey's face to the light and took a good look. Now there was no pressure of Mikey's own weight, the blood flow out of the wound increased instantly. Softly the agent sucked in a breath as he saw the full injury. "That must hurt, but then again… It was your own fault..." He scoffed, his eyes trailing to the rest of Mikey's body. "You foolish mutant. I -" He stopped immediately when he heard a sound behind him that didn't line up with the other sounds. Dropping Mikey's head, he quickly turned around, only to be met with something relatively sharp and wooden against his throat.

"Ya betta step away right now, creep," a deep, cold voice told him.

Curiously Bishop looked forward to see who he was threatened by, but at that moment a strong hand grabbed his collar and yanked him a few feet to the side, away from the unconscious turtle. With expert agility Bishop slid to a stop in a semi-crouched position and finally had the chance to look up to see whom he had the pleasure with. A tall and muscled man stared him down menacingly. "I hope ya can dance, Mister Fancy Pants," the man said with a confident grin as he tapped a hockey stick in his hand. "Cuz Casey Jones has joined tha party!"

 **00000**

Thanks for reading! Please leave a review. You guys give me even more motivation to write!


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you so much guys. Now I know why I'm writing in the first place. You're amazing!

 **00000**

 **Chapter 5**

" _I hope ya can dance, Mister Fancy Pants," the man said with a confident grin as he tapped a hockey stick in his hand. "Cuz Casey Jones has joined tha party!"_

Standing up straight, Bishop dusted off his shoulders nonchalantly. "Mister Jones. What an unpleasant surprise," he said dryly. "I did not remember inviting you, so I guess this is what one refers to as 'party crashing'."

Casey gave a chuckle. "I like tha way yer thinkin', old man. Cuz there will be a lot of crashin' indeed!" Lifting his hockey stick over his shoulder, he charged at the government agent, who didn't seemed fazed at this action. He merely stepped aside to avoid the long wood aimed at his side. "Please," he scoffed. "If I wanted to fight an asinined ape, I would've gone to the research lab back at the office."

Swinging his stick again, Casey tried to stay in the direct line of defence which he had claimed by charging with his stick. There was no way he would let this creepy agent get to Leo or Mike again. He already was almost too late. "Well, I suggest ya just go there right now, cuz there ya've got a chance of winnin'."

Bishop sniggered. "Do you really think so? I am just -"

"Sir! Behind you!" one of the agents that got hold of a still squirming Don suddenly called out. In one solid movement Bishop turned his head around, just in time to see a baseball bat flying towards him. Quickly he hold out his arm and blocked the weapon easily. "Ah, Miss O'Neil. You look lovely today," Bishop gave his attacker a proper greeting. A little shocked April looked back in the shaded dark eyes of the government agent.

"Move, babe!" Casey roared as he used his full weight to body check Bishop in the direction of the open infirmary door. Both males crashed hard into the door post, as April shakily stood up from her successful shoulder roll. Looking at the brawl in front of her, she knew she was safe for now. She dared a look behind her and immediately her breath got stuck in her throat by the look of Leo. His irregular breathing worried her greatly and he was sweating and trembling like crazy. This had to be the work of the poison Donnie was talking about. What he didn't tell her is that he looked even more beat up than that time he was thrown through her window on that cursed day. Just by looking at him April could almost feel the pain radiating from his battered body. He needed help, and fast. She looked around, searching for the notes Don had told her about. Then, for the second time in ten seconds, her heart seemed to freeze. Right next to the small desk, underneath the cabinets, laid an unconscious Mikey. Blood seeped out of a huge cut on his head as dark bruises seem to color the whole side of his cranium in an awful shade of bluish purple. "Oh, gosh, Mikey!" she called out, since she wasn't prepared to another one injured. She quickly looked him over and noticed some black stains on his lightly damaged plastron, along with several burn marks and wounds on his skin. "What in the world happened?" she confusedly asked herself. Suddenly she heard some grunts coming from her front and quickly she turned her head back. Casey and Bishop were still in the doorway, wrestling to claim position. In the back the government agents were still holding on to two struggling turtles, which made them now useless in the fight.

Making up her mind, April got up from her crouched position and with a little run-up, she pushed both males out of the room with a shoulder barge. Not expecting some extra weight in the fight, both lost their footing at bit, at which Casey took benefit from. "Thanks, babe," he commented panting, as he Sparta-kicked an unbalanced Bishop further into the living room. "Lock tha door!"

"Way ahead of you!" April called, slamming the heavily damaged door close as good as she could. " _And don't call me 'babe'!"_

Grinning Casey glanced around and saw Bishop getting up slowly. Taking the extra second, he twirled his hockey stick as he ran towards Don and his captors. "Heads up!" he yelled, using his stick as a baseball bat. Almost all agents were smart enough to move quickly out of the way, except for one who managed to break the stick with his cheek. Or the other way around, Casey wasn't sure.

"Thanks, Casey. You're a lifesaver!" Don called as he rapidly scrambled up and took his bo with him in the process. Immediately he ran to Raph, where some agents already looked at him nervously. Seeing him coming, Raph ducked as low to the ground as he could despite the choke hold, so Don could jump right over him with a spin kick, taking several agents with him. Instantly Raph broke free and jumped out of harm's way. "Heh, that was fun," he said angrily with a tone of relief as Don stepped back in front of him.

"Yeah, let's do it again, shall we?" Don deadpanned and he looked back, glancing over to Raph's injured limb. He tilted his chin. "How's your arm?"

Realising he was holding it tightly, Raph let go quickly and gave Don a rough shove to the shoulder. "I'm fine. Jus' get rid of those bastards." He grabbed a sai in his good hand and twirled it menacingly. Don nodded, knowing there was no way he could convince his hotheaded brother otherwise. Besides that, he couldn't check up on him now, there simply wasn't enough time. "Just don't make it worse. I need you."

"I hear ya. Same goes fer ya, genius." He took a step forward so he was standing next to Don. "Let's take 'em down."

Don gazed around the room, trying to come up with the most functional plan that was possible. Unfortunately fighting strategics weren't his specialty. How much he wished for his oldest brother to be here right now. Leo could come up with a plan in a second. Don gave a sigh and made up his mind. "Yeah, let's. Just don't take any unnecessary risks."

Raph gave a snort. "Yer soundin' like Fearless right now." Giving his younger brother a soft smack on the head like he did with Mikey all of the time, he sped off, ready for round two.

Don grinned, before realising something. "Hold them off!" he yelled, before making a dash towards the infirmary, subconsciously holding his injured side. He pounded on the door. "April, it's Don! I've got the notes right here." He reached into a compartment in his belt and slid the notes under the door. "I hope you can read it!" Not waiting for an answer, Don turned on his heel and ran off again to help his brother.

Meanwhile Casey tried to keep Bishop away from everything. Unfortunately it was harder than he thought, since the government agent was a freakin' kung fu specialist or something. The guy was so fast, Casey was afraid he'd lost him if he blinked. He just had to keep this up for a few more minutes, then the guys would back him up after they beat the other agents.

"You are getting on my nerves, man-ape," Bishop said as he dodged a metal golf club. He lashed out with his right hand, which shaved just along Casey's cheek. "Heh, and I'm jus' gettin' started." He grunted when the next punch of Bishop's combination hit his abdomen. Taking a step back, he hoped he would get out of line, but Bishop followed him as he kept attacking. "I should reconsider this foolish act, Jones," Bishop said as he jabbed Casey hard across his jaw. "As opposed to your mutant friends, you have no significant value to me." He turned and threw his elbow back, hitting Casey right onto his diaphragm, causing the muscular man to fall down on his knees winded.

Looking down on his struggling enemy, Bishop breathed out hard. "I will not hesitate to kill you."

With his hand on the lower part of his chest, Casey tried to regain his breath. He knew this guy wasn't fooling around, so he took the threat seriously. He felt the stern agent looking down on him, like he was already beaten. But he was not. He had a family to protect - His family.

Finally, after what seemed way too long, he managed to open his eyes again. Quickly stabilizing his blurry vision, he saw Bishop's feet just a few inches away from him. Right when he wanted to scramble up, he noticed one of Bishop's neat shoes covered in blood. When he looked better, he saw the long, narrow gash on top where most of the fresh blood was on.

Finding a weakness at last, Casey took his chance and slammed his fist hard on top of the shoe. Immediately Bishop cried out in pain as he bend forward to feel his injured foot. "You ignoramus!" he yelled through gritted teeth. "You will pay for this!"

Getting to his feet, Casey took his club in his hands. "Sorry, I'm outta cash. Ya except other forms of payment? Like a club ta yer face?" He lashed out, aiming for Bishop's head, but before the weapon could hit target, Bishop moved his shoulder up to block. With a crack the golf club deflected and with some effort Bishop limped out of the way. "Lucky shot. Next time you won't be."

"I don't think there'll be a next time, Johnny-boy," Raph suddenly commented as he appeared next to Casey. He twirled his sai in his good hand and regripped it, pointing it to his enemy. "I think yer outta time."

Don took position on the other side of Casey, looking Bishop over with aversion. "It's over, Bishop," he spoke. "Give up."

Instead of giving in, Bishop started to laugh. "Over? On the contrary, Donatello." He took a deep breath as to calm himself from laughing. "I think it is far from over." He spread his arms. "Look where I am right now. I am in the middle of the living room of those blasted mutants who cause me so much trouble." He gave an amused chuckle, setting his eyes on Don. "I am right where I want to be. All I have to do is make one call and my whole division will barge in and take you down in a second."

Raph shot forward and tackled Bishop to the ground. "Ya really think we'll be givin' ya that chance?" he said, ready to strike with his sai. Bishop grinned. "Oh please, Raphael. You really think it would be that simple for you? I am equipped with a tracker, monitoring my activities. Once that does not register anything anymore, the same action will be taken. So as long as you keep your precious fork out of my way, I guess we can whip up a deal."

It was quiet for a couple of seconds. Then Don took a step forward. "What deal?" he asked slowly with great reluctance.

Bishop tried to get up. "Could you -" he started to Raph, but got pushed back on the ground roughly. "I don't think so, psycho. Keep talkin'."

Ignoring Raph further, Bishop turned to Donatello. "If you insist… It is one thing to take you down for good, but I also know you will not hesitate to kill me once I will call. Since I have more plans in the future, I value _my_ life over _your_ downfall." He paused, most probably for the sake of suspense. "Unless, of course, your dog of a brother will continue to hurt me." He shot a sideway glance to Raph who had wrinkled his beak in anger, itching to bring his sai down. Fixing his eyes on Don again, he continued. "I'll suggest to keep him on a leash from now on."

Slamming the end of his bo staff right next to Bishop on the ground, Don gave the agent a fierce stare. "Keep talking like that and there won't be a deal to begin with."

Sniggering, Bishop shook his head. "I don't think you understand your situation, Donatello. You are in no position to make any demands. All of the cards are in my hand. Actually, I have your whole existence in my hands, including the life of your oldest brother. I suggest you stop playing with it."

At that moment a steel golf club went down, breaking the tiles right next to Bishop's head. "Ya freakin' monster. I'm gonna rip ya ta pieces, ya -"

"Jones! If you know what's good for you or your friends, you'll stop." Bishop cut in in a firm voice. "This will be your final warning. I said I value my life, but I did not say I will not sacrifice it for the greater good of the country. Making the call to take you into custody and delivering you to Area 51 will make me a hero. A hero who saved the United States from vicious fighting mutants who'd kill government agents. Don't forget that. Another outburst and I _will_ contact HQ."

With rising aversion Don thought the situation over and concluded Bishop was right. Although their enemy was outnumbered, there were still a lot of cards up his sleeve. And if he had listened correctly, Bishop had mentioned something about Leo's life. If that was what he hoped it meant, it was really worth listening. Don decided his course of action. "Start talking then."

A small grin flashed over Bishop's lips. "Good decision, Donatello. I knew I could communicate rationally with you, unlike -"

"Start talking, Bishop," Don cut in firmly. Bishop looked him over. "Very well. I suggest you will let me walk away from here and with that you will never bother me again." He saw Raphael open his mouth to yell something in his direction, but quickly continued in a harder voice. "Even when you come across me on the street, like your beloved brother earlier this evening. You will leave me to my work and you just walk away." He gave both turtles a hard stare. "And of course, in exchange I will do the same. I will leave you in peace, including your rat, your human friends and your non-human friends."

Don didn't move his eyes from his enemy, giving this a thought. This whole deal was great for them. They never had to worry about Bishop and thus the government. Never they had to fear being dissected by some shady agents in a metallic lab. But what would happen when they said 'yes'? Bishop was definitely up to something and by giving in, they gave him everything he wanted. A free ticket to continue his corrupt actions towards the country.

Noticing Don's dilemma, Bishop cleared his throat. "I almost forgot," he said in a sweet voice. "When we have an agreement, I am willing to give you the cure for your brother. The cure you will not be able to create." He paused to take in the looks of his enemies. "So let me summarize this. You will let me go and leave me alone in the future, whatever I am doing. In exchange I will do the same, do not call in my army to take you down _and_ I will give you the cure for my poison." He looked around, rather certain of himself. "But if you will not agree, Leonardo will die in a most painful way within a couple of hours and I will make sure to capture the rest of you. Once captured, I will make sure poor Michelangelo will endure the most gruesome experiments back at Area 51 and you two will never see daylight again, withering away in a dark cell. Maybe I will even make you watch the youngest suffer." He put in a pause, letting his words sink in. With growing mirth he felt Raphael tense up, the green hands trembling with anger. "Besides that… Your precious rat will be hunted down until he collapses and dies, probably in the stinking sewers which he came from in the first place. And your friends will be executed for betraying the country by hiding mutants they should have reported. How's that for a deal?"

Don swallowed hard. The words had hit mark and he knew they didn't have a choice. Trembling with anger, he tried to calm himself. Suddenly there was a furious roar and Raph had launched his injured arm straight into Bishop's face. "Yer a disgusting, pathetic man. I thought I've seen all of ya in tha past, but apparently ya can get much, much worse." Breathing heavily to contain his anger he stood up. "Yer makin' me sick." He turned his head to Don, who was rooted to the spot. Raph's outburst could have ruined everything. Breathlessly he waited until Bishop would make his move to send in a full army through their front door.

"Foolish mutant. This little action had almost cost you everything," Bishop said, rubbing his cheek. "Your home, your friends, your family… Your life."

 _Almost…?_ Suddenly Don realised the true meaning of Bishop's reluctance of calling in his agents, and immediately his shocked expression turned into an angry frown. "But that is not in line with your big plan, right?" he said in a cold voice, finally putting all the pieces together. "All of this was a set-up, wasn't it?" He took a big breath, looking away from Bishop's curious eyes which indicated he was on the right track. "You've been planning to take us out for a while now," he started, as his anger grew. "Problem is, we're pretty useful to you and actually you just wanted us out of _your_ way, while continuing what we're doing. You just needed a reason to motivate us doing just that and with Leo running into you, this was the perfect chance to execute it." He looked back at Bishop. "Am I right?"

With an unreadable grin on his face, Bishop chuckled. "I can see why you are the smartest, Donatello. It was a risky plan in progress, and could be executed with any of you within time. It just was not my intention to accomplish it tonight, since I was actually busy with something important. But this… This is even better. You know you don't have a choice but to give in if you want to save your lives… And the life of your oldest brother."

Don shook his head with disgust, as he tried to calm himself, although his fists were itching to punch Bishop to oblivion. Unfortunately, he knew he could not drag this out any longer. He needed to help his ailing brothers and he could only do that when they would do the inevitable… They had to submit, just like Bishop just stated.

With hate in his eyes, Don lifted his chin up. "You are an abominable man, Bishop," he said, his anger rising again. "I really wonder how you can live with yourself." Then he sighed softly to calm himself again, and turned his head, catching Raph's eyes. Although it was hard to find behind the rage, Don knew his brother would agree with his decision - he could feel it. With a small nod only Raph could see, he turned back to their enemy. "Okay, Bishop. Give us the cure, and we'll accept your truce," he finally said, trying to keep the reluctance out of his voice.

Bishop got to his feet, a wicked grin on his face. "So we have an agreement?" he asked, taking a step towards Don. Immediately Raph and Casey jumped in between, ready to attack. A three fingered hand on Raph's shoulder prevented him from lashing out again. Instead the hothead took a small step aside to make room for his brother. "I swear, Bishop," he spat out. "Yer doin' anything ta harm ma family again, I'm comin' fer ya personally. Deal or not."

"Don't worry, Raphael. I am a man of my word. And I trust you are too with your ninja honour and such like," Bishop said, reaching in his pocket. He took out a small vial containing a light green fluid. He turned to Don. "This, Donatello, is the cure for your brother. You can test it if you want to, but I can assure you it's the right antidote."

Don looked at it suspiciously. "Does it need anything else?" he asked in an even voice, although he was still going to check it. Bishop shook his head. "Just put it in a syringe and administer it directly into his bloodstream. It should work within a couple of hours."

Looking up again, Don's hard stare met Bishop's dark, shaded eyes. "How long does he have left?" he asked seriously. Bishop smirked lightly, but then looked at his watch. "Still somewhere between ten and twelve hours, so no rush."

"Any adverse effects?"

Bishop shrugged. "Not really on the long term. He'll be in great pain for a week or two because of the constraining muscles. After that he will be able to move again without too much discomfort," he explained. "It will take some time for him to recover fully, though."

"Jeez, guys. Shall I put tha kettle on or what?" Casey exclaimed. He did not like this at all. Don chatting with their enemy like they were talking about the weather or something.

Don nodded and looked at Bishop. "I have your word?"

"Definitely," the agent answered. "When I have yours. Oh, and by the way, this truce consists for any of you. Including your unconscious brothers, the rat, your human friends, the alligator and other mutants. But you'd probably understood with that brilliant mind of yours." With a small smirk on his face he hold out his hand. Doubtingly Don looked at it before exchanging a look with Raph again, who gave the slightest of nods. Still not liking the idea, Don reluctantly grabbed Bishop's hand and shook it firmly, closing the deal with the enemy. He looked Bishop in the eyes. "The antidote, please."

Casey stepped up. "And then beat it."

"And take yer minions with ya," Raph added, giving one of the unconscious agents a small kick.

Letting go, Bishop made a small bow, handing over the vile. "It was nice doing business with you, Donatello," he said as Don carefully grabbed the antidote from him. Walking away towards the door, the government agent rolled up his sleeve and pushed a button on his watch. Immediately the front door burst open again and another small army of men entered the living room.

With big eyes Don stared at it as Raph and Casey crowded in front of him protectively. "We had a deal, Bishop! We had an agreement!"

Bishop stopped in his tracks and turned around partially. "And we still do," he said calmly. "I thought your brother had asked me to take my agents with me. I'm just cleaning up my mess."

Speechless, the two turtles and one human watched how the unconscious bodies of their enemies were dragged out of the lair at a fast pace. Within two minutes there were no agents or weapons left, just Bishop, who stood in the doorway. "Your secret is safe with me, as long as you keep your promises. If not, I'll burst in the minute you go out of line." He grabbed the door handle. "I wish you a pleasant life, mutants." With that he walked through the door, closing it behind him, rendering Don, Raph and Casey dumbfounded.

 **00000**

I hope you liked it! Tell me whether you did or not!


	6. Chapter 6

Thank you guys for your kind reviews! I love reading them!

And in return I hope you love to read my story :). Here's the next chapter! Please enjoy!

 **00000**

 **Chapter 6**

For about ten seconds it was totally quiet.

"Well, that was… Weird," Casey concluded, still standing rooted to the spot. Raph nodded. "Uh-uh." He looked around the room, where all the knocked-down and blown-away furniture was still littered around the room. Blood, from one of them or their attackers, stained the floor and smoke from the explosion still trailed slowly around the room, searching for an exit. His gaze went to the door of the infirmary, and the blackened wall around it as he visualized what the situation was inside. Two injured brothers, one he needed more than he liked to admit and one he cared for more than anyone else on this whole world, were out of commission just because of one wicked man. Suddenly all of his anger came back to him. "What tha freakin' shell just happened?" he called out, throwing up his hands in frustration. Immediately a painful cry in the form of a curse escaped him when his injured arm didn't do what he wanted it to do. With a grimace he clutched it tightly. "Did we really just made a deal with that guy?"

For a second it was quiet, until Don gave a sigh. "We didn't have much of a choice, did we?"

"We coulda pounded that guy into oblivion and fight off everyone coming at us! You've got an awesome security system and we coulda called in some reinforcements! We -"

"You were there too, Raph! You knew there wasn't another option!" Don interjected. "We've got two brothers we had to protect. We..We.."

"Ya couldn't take tha risk," Casey finished for him. Don gave a defeated nod, without ripping his gaze off Raph. "You agreed with me, right?"

Looking away frustrated, Raph bit his lip. "Yeah. Of course." He softly rubbed his injured arm. "It's just... I hate that guy. I really wanna punch that friggin' self-assured smirk off his friggin' face. And I don't trust him."

Don barked out a laugh. "Well, that makes two of us." He regripped the precious vial in his hand a little tighter, knowing they had to undertake action. "But for some reason I have trust in this truce."

"Seriously?" Casey commented. "Dude, tha guy knows where ya live. How do ya know he's not gonna bust in again?"

"If he wanted to kill or capture us or whatever, he would have done that. You've seen how many men he had there. It just wasn't his objective," Don answered, looking at the still peeved expressions of Raph and Casey, which kind of turned into demanding frowns. Don searched for the most brief explanation he could think of. "At this moment he benefits more from the situation of us out of his way, but not completely gone. How much Bishop hates us, we are still pretty useful to him. We take care of aliens, robots and I-don't-know-whats, and he takes the honors, since we simply can't because of who we are," he made clear with a sigh. As he did, he felt a stabbing pain in his side where Bishop had hit him. Now his adrenaline was finally ebbing away, he finally felt how sore he was. Unfortunately he couldn't dwell on it for long, because there were more important tasks at hand. Knowing that, he started to walk to the infirmary.

Quickly Casey followed. "Dude, how in the world did ya figure that out anyway?"

Don gave a shrug. "It was just an assumption, since everything was played out too well. But it still was the most logical explanation. And then Bishop confirmed it."

Raph grunted from frustration. "That bastard! And now he also knows where we live. We've.. We…" He stopped talking when he heard Don scoff. "What?"  
Don looked up to him, a sad frown on his face. "Honestly, I bet he already knew. But he just waited for the right moment. To play all of his cards right." He barked out a tired non-committed laugh. "Heck, maybe he was the one who put Leo on our doorstep."

Raph's eyes grew wide. "No friggin' way! That's bull, Don!"

"We don't know, Raph. It's just guessing right now." Don gave a sigh, thinking too late about the consequences. Thankfully, he managed to keep his face neutral. "But we'll get to that later if it's necessary. Now we have more important matters to take care off."

Suddenly there was a hard pounding. "Yo, babe. It's us, open up!" Casey yelled as he knocked on the door, which moved dangerously in its frame. Raph stepped forward and punched Casey hard on his shoulder. "Dude, ya've woken up whole New York by now, ya moron!"

"Well, everyone knows where yer livin' right now, so I guess that's not a problem, doofus!" Casey retorted, his fist already aimed at Raph. Don stepped in between. "Guys, there are two injured bros in there. A little bit of rest and peace is required. Could you please -"

At that moment the door was opened carefully and April glanced them over. "What happened? Is it over?" she asked, while looking at the mess behind them. "Where's Bishop?"

"They left," Raph replied grumpily and he stepped past her. Noticing her confused face, Don fell in, "It's a long story, but we kinda made a deal. We leave him alone, he leaves us alone."

"Just like that?"

"Something like that. But I'll fill you in later," Don said as he also stepped into the room. "More important things first." His gaze went through the room, where the situation hadn't changed much. Leo was still out of it, laying sweatily and trembling on the cot, his breath coming out in ragged, hushed breaths. April had put a wet cloth on his forehead to provide him some comfort, but it didn't seem to relieve any pain. Mikey was still on the floor, his head now resting on a folded blanket, presumably from the pile Mikey himself had deposited there earlier this evening. A large ice pack with a towel around it covered the cut on his head, but unfortunately it didn't help much, since it was already bloodsoaked. April saw him looking. "I'm sorry. This is all I could do to make him comfortable. Once we've closed that awful wound, we really should move him to a bed. This cold floor doesn't improve his situation."

Raph, who was knelt down next to his youngest brother, knitted his brow in worry. "So… Why haven't ya stitched him up already?" he asked, more curiously anxious than anything else. Carefully he lifted up the bloody towel and he sucked in a breath through his teeth by the look of the injury. Casey looked over his shoulder, scrunching up his face. "That's gotta hurt so bad when he wakes up," he commented sympathetically.

April gave Raph a small smile. "Because I couldn't find a suture needle." She turned to Don. "I assume you've got some extra in your lab?"

Remembering he had used the last one a couple of weeks ago, Don closed his eyes in exasperation. "Shell. I totally forgot to restock those." He breathed out heavily. "Yes, they're in my lab, in the red cabinet. I'll -"

"Chill, Donnie," Casey cut in as he turned to Don and April. "Ya'll worry 'bout other things. I'll get yer stuff. Need more?"

Don nodded distractedly. "Uh… Y-yes, some hydrogel gauzes for Mike's burn marks, please. They're in the red cabinet on the left, second shelf from above. Thanks." He watched Casey walk away and switched his gaze back to the floor, where Raph was softly dabbing Mikey's head with the towel, his eyes filled with worry. Knowing his little brother would be fine in Raph's hands, Don turned his head towards the bed, and immediately his heart sank even further. The pained expression on Leo's face made it obvious the oldest was suffering. Just looking at him made Don feel scared and uncertain, like he didn't know what to do. He needed his brother - he couldn't make all the big decisions himself. That was Leo's job, taking the difficult choices out of their hands. Whatever the case, their big brother carried this burden with pride to shield his younger brothers from the harm a wrong choice could give. Or to prevent them from feeling the massive amount of guilt that was resting on his shoulders when something went wrong.

Walking up to the cot, Don stopped next to it and put his hand affectionately on Leo's head, moving his thumb slowly up and down. He felt the slight fever that was running through his already battered body and Don gave a sigh. He never actually realised how much Leo did for them until now. He had always looked up to his oldest brother, but also simply had taken him for granted. The big brother who always took the right decisions at the right moment was always there and just carried out his job as a leader and an older brother naturally. Don had never had felt the burden Leo was bearing until this moment with Bishop. He knew there wasn't much of a choice, but did he made the right decision here? How much he wished Leo could provide him with an answer. But now the big, strong brother he always relied upon was getting weaker by the minute and it was up to him to make a choice again. Was Bishop telling the truth about the cure? And how long did Leo had for real? Don hardly believed his brother still had the ten to twelve hours Bishop had told him about. Giving the ailing turtle one fast look, and you knew he was almost at his end.

Suddenly he felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked to the side. A sad smiling April looked at him, showing him his own notes. "There's not much I could do with it. I don't have anything here. But according to your notes, you indeed are missing a component, which -"

"- I probably have here," Don finished for her, holding out his hand, revealing the vial with the light green liquid. Confused April looked at it. "How…" She shook his head, knowing there was not much time. "Nevermind. Just… Are you sure it could be the right cure?"

Biting his lip, Don gave a small sigh. "We're about to find out." He shifted his gaze to Leo again, convincing himself he could leave him for a little while as long as Raph stayed. "I-I could use your help in the lab, April."

"Whoa, what about Mike?" Raph suddenly called out, not angry or whatsoever. He had turned his head to look at the standing two. "Ya can't leave 'im like this. He's bleedin' way too much fer that."

"Wait. You know how to stitch, right?" April asked him. Raph gave a huff. "Yeah, but I need two hands fer that. Unfortunately I'm only capable ta use one at tha moment."

Aprils eyes widened. "What? What happened to your arm?" she asked worried as she walked towards him. Now Raph's eyes narrowed in frustration. "I'm gonna be fine, Ape! It's Mike and Leo we've gotta take care of right now. Leo's practically dyin', and if we don't do somethin' fast, Mikey's life could be in danger too. Shell, I don't even know what his friggin' condition is right now." Quickly he flashed a glance to Don, who looked like he could barely holding it together. There was just too much going on at the same time and Raph knew how Don felt: torn between the choice of caring for his brothers. But Raph also knew there wasn't a choice at all. Don was the only one who actually could do something for Leo, since Raph knew nothing about chemicals and medicines. Shell, there also wasn't really much he could do for Mikey at the moment, but he sure as shell tried everything in his might to protect them.

Feeling bad for his younger brother, Raph let out a calming huff. Him getting angry wasn't what Don deserved, since he did absolutely great dealing with Bishop not so long ago. Raph knew without Don the situation would be totally different, in the negative sense of the word. "Okay, here's tha plan," he started, taking the lead. "Donnie, start checkin' that stuff. If ya don't trust it, tell me and I'm gonna kick Bishop's ass. April, ya need ta stitch up Mike, since Casey simply can't and I'm unable to. When done, yer gonna help Don with whatever he needs yer help with. Deal?"

Don nodded. "Yes, deal." He paused a moment. "When something's up, I want to know immediately though."

"'Course, Brainiac. Now move yer shell ta yer fancy equipment and fix Leo. As soon as April's finished 'ere she's comin' yer way, and Case and I take care of Mike and Leo," Raph answered, leaving no room for discussion.

After a moment Don nodded again. "Got it," he said, glad he didn't have to make all of the decisions himself. He shot Leo one more look. _I'm going to fix you, bro. I promise,_ he mentally pledged. Turning his body, he looked at Mikey, wishing he could do more for him at the moment. Unfortunately he couldn't split himself up and Leo needed him more at the moment. _I'm so sorry, little brother. I'll make this up to you._ With a heavy heart, he grabbed his notes and walked out of the infirmary, passing Casey who came back from the lab.

"Good," Raph said as he saw Don disappear, happy things were getting into motion. He looked at Casey. "Found it?"

"Yup," the man answered and he hold out some gauzes and sterile packages with suture needles with the wire already attached to it. April took one from him from her knelt position on the floor. "Thanks. Could you hand me the kit on top of the counter, please?"

"Sure thing, babe." Reaching out, Casey grabbed the small black case and gave it to her. Carefully April placed it next to her and unzipped it. Getting the right supplies, she looked at Raph. "I need you to give me some extra light."

Raph nodded as he reached into a drawer, pulling out a flashlight. April chuckled, since she expected something more advanced. "That should work."

Giving her a grin, Raph turned on the light, shining the beam on Mikey's head. "Like this?"

Carefully April removed the towel containing the icepack. To her relief, the swelling had reduced a bit, but the injury still looked awful. Despite the sickeningly look, April nodded. "Perfect."

As April cleaned the wound a bit more, Raph looked up. "Case, can ya keep an eye on Leo?"

"Got it," Casey answered as he took Don's stool and rolled it to the bed. He totally digged the comfortable folding chairs, but in this way he could get up immediately might it be necessary.

"Although working on the floor isn't the best way, this should do it," April said softly, looking from the clean wound to Mikey's closed eyes. She didn't like it at all. Mikey should be bouncing in and out of every room, half panicking, half relieving the tension, helping out his brothers where he could. He shouldn't be the one laying out cold on the floor, being unnatural still. Silently she gave him an affectionate stroke over the back of his head as to comfort him, before turning to the red-banded turtle in front of her. "Raph, it probably won't happen, but might he wake up, keep him as still as possible. Knowing Mikey's wild ways, he could only make matters worse." After receiving a nod, she wiped away some new blood with a sterile gauze and pierced Mikey's skin with the needle, making the first of many stitches. Immediately she noticed this was going to be a little bit harder than normal, since the blood flow didn't seem to reduce. "Darn it," she scolded, grabbing another cotton gauze to clean the wound again.

"Can I do somethin'?" Raph asked worried. April shook her head, not taking her eyes of her work. "No, it's okay. It's just really messy with all the blood, that's all."

Raph nodded. "Kay…" He swallowed, hesitantly searching for words. "So, Mike's gonna be fine, right?" he asked softly. April didn't look up, but kept on stitching.

"Ape?"

Wiping away another trickle of blood, April sighed deeply. "I'm not going to lie to you, Raph. His situation is worrisome. He sustained a terrible head injury, which I can't categorize at the moment." She made two new stitches, as the room kept quiet, aside from Leo's breathing. The moment she felt Raph tense up, she put a new gauze on the wound on Mikey's head and looked up. "Unfortunately we need to wait to see how his situation develops. First of all we have to take care of his wounds and put him to bed to get him warm again, because he's freezing here on the floor." She bent her head again, and continued stitching. "After that we need to give him his rest, but simultaneously try to wake him up as soon as possible so we can give him a much better check-up. Responses are key here."

Raph nodded half-heartedly and took a deep breath. "What about tha burn marks?" he asked further, looking over Mikey's upper body. He gently touched his brother's arm where a big red blister was formed.

"Not life threatening," April answered curtly. "I'm almost finished here, then I need to bandage his head up properly. After that we put him to bed and one of you guys can take care of the other wounds while I'm helping Donnie out." She made another stitch and cut the wire with the small scissors from the medical kit. Immediately she pierced the skin again, working with expert precision to close the wound as neat as possible.

A few minutes later she leaned back on her knees. "That should do it," she said with a smile, as she inspected the closed wound one more time. Raph wrinkled his beak. "Ugh… Stitches are disgusting," he concluded. Ever since he got some stitches in his knee as a six-year-old from falling pretty damn hard in the sewers, he hated everything with a needle. Unfortunately, with his aggressive ways there was no way he could get out under sutures, stitches or even staples from time to time.

"Ahw, is poor little Raphie-boy scared of some thread? Does he wanta hug?" Casey commented teasingly from his position on the stool. Raph gave him a glare. "Weren't ya tha one screamin' when Don stitched up yer shin last year?" he shot back.

Casey's eyes narrowed. "Dude! That metal sliced completely through my tissue. I saw my own bone! 'Course I screamed!" he defended himself.

"Guys!" April came in between. Immediately both guys looked at her with apologizing looks on their faces. "Thank you." She shifted on her knees and rummaged through the medical kit, taking out some compresses and a roll of thick bandage. "Raph, can you help me holding Mikey's head up a bit so I can apply the bandage?"

Raph nodded. "Sure." He clicked out the flashlight and put it on the floor. He slid his good hand under Mikey's head and very carefully lifted it up. With some effort he put his other hand under his brother's neck for a bit more support. "Like this?"

April nodded with tauted lips. "We'll make it work," she said as she covered the now stitched-up gash with soft compresses. After that she started to roll out the full bandage to give some pressure on the wound. "Perfect," she concluded once finished. With a soft smile, she gave Mikey a stroke over his cheek. "You did great, sweety." Her hand slid down to his chest and let it rest there, feeling the rise and fall of the young turtle's breathing. "Now let's move you to a bed. You'll be way more comfortable there." She sighed softly as she looked into Mikey's closed eyes. A moment later she looked up, seeing Raph also looking at Mikey worriedly. As soon as he noticed he was being looked at, he whipped his head up. April gave him a smile. "Can you and Casey get him to bed? I'm not strong enough. I'll watch Leo."

Raph nodded. "Yes, of course," he said, turning his head to watch Casey, who was already on his feet. "Anythin' we need ta remember?"

April shook her head. "Just be really careful with him. Put him to bed and make sure he's tucked in. After that I want one of you to stay in case he might wake up. When that happens please try to provoke a reaction."

Both boys nodded as they gently picked Mikey off the ground. Fully supporting him they dragged him out of the infirmary to his own room, leaving April alone with Leo.

 **IIIII**

"Poor guy," Casey commented as he adjusted the pillow where Mikey's head rested on. He and Raph managed to get him into bed as gently as they could and now they tried to make it a little bit more comfortable for him.

Raph gave a nod. "Yeah… Hope he's gonna be fine." He leaned back against Mikey's desk, softly rubbing his arm. "First Leo, now he… This was just a shell offa night."

Tucking the blankets around Mikey even more, Casey turned his head. "They'll get through this. Leo's freakin' badass en Mike's way tougher than he let on. And besides… They've got us," he finished with a crooked smile. The turtle raised an eye ridge. "Us?" he asked in a low voice. "Mr. Passive and Mr. Pointless in the medical field?" He shook his head in exasperation. Casey shot him an angry look. "Stop whinin', ya moron," he started. "Ya brothers need us, whether ya like it or not. So stop yer freakin' complainin'."

Raph gave a huff, but didn't comment further since Casey was simply right. Instead he pushed himself away from the desk and walked up to the bed. For a few seconds he looked at Mikey, who seemed to sleep peacefully, weren't it for the large bandage around his head. Hot anger towards Bishop rose to the surface again by the look of his brother and quickly he averted his thoughts. "Who ya wanna watch over?" he asked in a mostly calm voice, as he softly touched Mikey's shoulder, which already felt way warmer than before.

Casey looked at him. "Honestly? I'd rather watch over Mike." He paused and continued in a much softer voice, "Leo's breathin' is scarin' tha shell outta me."

Raph snorted. "That makes two of us," he mumbled and turned on his heels. "Ya take care of Mike's wounds further, then?"

Casey nodded. "Definitely," he stated. "Mike's in good hands."

"I know, bud," Raph said. He turned his head one more time to look at his little brother, before walking out of the tiny room, on his way to the infirmary again.

 **00000**

So that's it for now. Please tell me whether you liked it or not! I love reviews ;-)


	7. Chapter 7

Thanks for reading, guys. I love you!

For now the next chapter. Enjoy!

 **00000**

 **Chapter 7**

Don leaned back from his microscope and looked at his notes again. Tapping his pencil on the table he went through it again, making small adjustments as he went.

"Hey, Donnie. Sorry it took a while," a feminine voice suddenly sounded from behind him. Don looked up and gave her a smile. "Hey. How's everything in the infirmary?"

"Relatively good. Leo's condition didn't worsen, so that's good I guess. Mikey's been stitched up and bandaged and we carefully moved him to his own bed, where Casey's keeping an eye on him. Raph's with Leo," April explained briefly. Don gave a nod. "Did Mike woke up yet?"

Sadly April shook her head. "No, not even a stir. He's really out of it." She bit her lip. "But he's going to be fine. It's Mikey we're talking about," she tried, even though a little bit unconvincing. Don gave a sad snort. "But still... He's my little brother. I should be there for him. I -"

April put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Donnie, you _are_ there for him. By helping Leo. You're doing a hell of a job here. And Mikey knows." She gave him a warm smile. "Everyone knows."

Don put his hands in his neck and closed his eyes. "It's still messed up. This just shouldn't have happened."

"Well, it did," she stated firmly, but gently. "And now we're going to fix this." She took an empty stool and sat next to him. "So what do you got?"

Giving her a smile as a thank you for being so direct, Don grabbed his pencil again. "I've checked everything and what Bishop gave seems legit." He showed her his notes, explaining everything he had found. "It all seems perfectly fine, but I really would appreciate it if you could double check it for me and after that tripple check it for the sake of being absolutely sure. I can't afford making any mistakes."

Looking at the notes, April gave a nod and moved her stool to the microscope. "Got it." She turned her head and gave Don a look, noticing how tired he looked. "How about you are getting some coffee."

Don gave her a frown. "I don't wa -"

"For me," she interrupted. "You know how I like it." Raising her eyebrows, she gave him a fierce stare, he couldn't ignore. "Fine," he gave in, knowing she did this more to give him a little break, which he actually appreciated. With a suppressed groan he got to his feet and took a second extra to actually rise up, setting off April's alarm bells. "How hurt are you?" she asked directly. Don looked at her a little surprised. "I'm okay," he said. "Probably a cracked rib or something. Don't worry though." He turned around, but got stopped by an hand around his wrist. "I know you have to be there for your brothers, but just look a bit after yourself, Donnie. Please."

He smiled assuringly. "I will. But first things first." He gently took back his arm. "Like your coffee. Be right back." Giving a small wink he walked out of his lab, leaving April who shook her head disapprovingly. As Don walked around the corner, she smiled softly though, knowing her boys would never change. Feeling strangely proud, she shoved the notes towards her and started to check it, hoping the vial would indeed contain the right antidote.

 **I**

For like the hundredth time in almost two hours, Raph looked at the digital clock in the infirmary. Frustrated he put a hand to his head, rubbing his skull. He could not stand the thick silence which was disturbed by Leo's irregular and harsh breathing pattern. Heck, he could not stand Leo at the moment. Why in the friggin' world did he have to go out tonight? And run into friggin' Bishop? And getting shot by a friggin' poisonous dart?

"Why, bro?" he asked softly. "Ya just should've let him do his thing." He gave a huff and then snorted sadly. Who was he kidding… He would have done the exact same. Revising his thoughts, he put a hand on Leo's trembling arm. It wasn't Leo himself he couldn't stand, it was this whole situation. Finding his big brother wounded and poisoned on their doorstep, the attack on their home, the explosion that took out the youngest, that bastard of a government agent, that stupid truce he did not trust and now the oldest' condition that got worse... Raph looked him over again and sighed in slight defeat. Leo was in agony and he couldn't do anything about it. Just sitting passively on the sidelines, waiting for something to happen around him.

Looking at the clock again, Raph groaned in frustration. Precious time was ticking away. He knew Don and April were doing their absolute best, but he couldn't stand it anymore. A couple of times he wanted to get up and walk over to the lab to ask Don how he was progressing, but he didn't want to leave Leo alone. And calling out him would only create panic, so he remained silent, keeping a close eye on his oldest brother.

 **I**

Comparing the different microscopic test results one more time, April peeped up from the advanced equipment. "This is it, Donnie."

Looking up from the notes, Don nodded reluctantly. "It should. I also can't find anything that could be wrong with it. All of our conclusions lead to the same thing." He flipped one of the pages and scanned the formulas again. Giving him a look, April saw the doubt in his eyes. "Don, we've quintuple-checked the results. There's no other conclusion than it's legit."

Sighing tiredly, Don shook his head. "But there has to be something fishy with it! I got this from Bishop… It can't be right…" Although they just made an agreement, Don still didn't trust the guy. He was their enemy for many years now, so why all of a sudden? Yes, he had his hypothesis, but he could not be a hundred percent sure about that. It was just too good to be true.

He got jerked out of his thoughts by a warm hand on the back of his head. "Don," April started. "We could check it ten more times, but the results will stay the same. All we do is waste time. Time Leo doesn't have."

It stayed quiet for a couple of seconds, until Don shoved the notes away from him. "You're right. Instead of distrusting Bishop, I've got to trust us. We've got this." He carefully stood up from his stool and walked to one of the drawers with medical supplies. Grabbing two wrapped sterile syringes, he turned to April. "Get the antidote. We're gonna cure Leo."

 **I**

Hearing some noise coming from their living room, Raph jumped up. In one swift movement he grabbed his sai out of his belt and stood in a defensive position in front of the cot. Knowing it would be ridiculous someone would attack again, Raph didn't want to take risk. Listening in, he heard two pairs of footsteps, one from low heels, the other one unmistakably Donnie's. Only when he heard a knock on the door and his brother's voice, Raph lowered his sai. Slowly the damaged door opened and Don walked in. "How is he?" he asked, not really taking note of Raph's sai. Raph gave him a foul look. "Ya really need ta ask? Jus' look at him!"

Walking over, Don gave Leo a swift check. The trembling had increased and unfortunately his fever had gone up, though it was manageable. The thing that still worried him most was the deep, rasping respiration, and the still irregular heartbeat.

"So, you've found somethin' ta help him?" Raph asked much calmer, looking from Don to April. April nodded. "Yes. Apparently the antidote Bishop provided is legit. We've checked it multiple times, so there is basically no doubt," she explained matter-of-factly. Raph looked back at Don. "Yer a hundred percent sure? Cuz -"

"Yes, Raph. Like April said we've checked it. All of our conclusions are the same and it should cure him over time."

"Should?" Raph repeated. Don looked up with an offended expression. "Look," he started firmly. "I don't trust Bishop more than you do. But we've researched everything. _Everything_ , Raph. Even if I was not completely convinced, it's still our only option. It's this, or a very painful death for Leo." For a moment the two brothers looked each other in the eye, until Don roughly held out a full syringe with light green fluid. "If you want to you can check it yourself, but I don't think you'll come up with something other than what April and I concluded."

Raph almost looked like he wanted to argue but then lowered his shoulders in defeat. "Yer right. I trust ya." He gazed over to Leo. "Even if it goes wrong, ya've done everythin' ya could," he added. Don gave an non-amused snort, pulling off the protective cap off the syringe. Slowly he lined up the needle with one of the visible veins in Leo's arm. Hesitating just a little he pushed the needle through the skin and emptied the syringe into Leo's bloodstream. Pulling back, Don quickly pushed a small gauze on the speck. From the corners of his eyes he saw Raph appear on the other side of the bed and he looked up, giving a small smile. Returning it, Raph added a nod. "Ya did good, Donnie."

Don accepted the compliment with a small nod, but quickly shifted his attention to his ailing brother again. "We've just done the easy part. It's now up to Leo," he said sadly, putting a hand on Leo's head. Raph grinned. "Heh, if that's tha case, we're good. That shell-head is way too stubborn ta quit on us."

Don gave a genuine smile back. "Let's hope he is," he said, looking back at Leo, hoping the antidote would do what it had to do. And fast, because he wasn't sure how much more his big brother could take...

 **I**

For a little while Don, Raph and April looked down on Leo's weak body, listening to the raspy, almost choke-like respiration.

"It doesn't work. Why doesn't it work?" Raph asked frustrated, seeing no immediate effect. April laid a calming hand on his shoulder. "Have a little patience, Raph. It probably will take a little while."

Don nodded as he breathed out slowly. Tiredly he rubbed the bridge between his eyes. "The antidote is now in his bloodstream and most likely traveling toward his muscles at the moment. The next step is to contain the poisonous particles and destroy them. It just takes some time for the cure to do it's job," he explained so his brother would understand it easily.

Raph growled in frustration. "How much time?" he demanded. Averting his eyes to Leo again, Don gave it a thought. "If I remember correctly, Bishop mentioned something about a few hours..." he trailed off, his photogenic mind picturing all of his own notes to remember whether that statement could be true. Raph grunted angrily, quickly pulling him out of his thoughts. "Ugh… Why do we trust him?"

"Bishop? We don't," Don said. "We trust us."

Not having much to say, because it simply was true, Raph sat down. "I hate waitin', not knowin' whether things work out or not…" Suddenly he felt a warm and soft arm around his shoulders.

"Don't worry, honey. Everything's going to be fine," April said soothingly, giving him a quick hug. A little flushed, Raph looked away. "Don't call me that," he muttered. Playfully April pressed her body against his shell. "Or else what?" she asked teasingly.

"I don't know… Jus'- Just don't," Raph said awkwardly, not daring to move or to look her in the eyes.

"Aw.. You're such a sweetie." With a grin April pressed a quick kiss on the back of his head to tease him even more. "A little bit of affection never killed a guy, you know," she said with a wink as she let go and stood up. Jerking his head up with big eyes, he followed her movements towards the cabinets. "If yer referrin' ta Fearless… I ain't gonna kiss 'im!" he spluttered.

Noticing how the tension was leaving the room slowly, Don allowed himself to grin. He also looked at April, who was wrinkling her nose at the sight of the blood splatters that were still on the small doors. Deciding she would clean it later, she opened them and rummaged through the contents. "While we wait, how about we take care that arm of yours properly, Raph."

A little frightened Raph looked at her. Putting his good hand protectively over his injured arm, he twisted his body a bit to keep it out of sight. "How 'bout when this all's over?"

"She's got a good point, Raph," Don interjected, trying to look past Raph's shielding arm. "I've never got a chance to look at it, but we've got to do something. At least stabilize it a bit."

Walking back, April held up a square package. "What about just a sling for now?" Sitting down next to Raph again, she already opened up the packing. With a defeated grunting sigh, Raph gave in. "Fine, as long as ya stop buggin' me after that. Both of ya."

"Oh, stop acting like a wuss. Now sit still."

After some grunting complains, April could work on him, securing the sling as firmly as possible. Some time later she rolled back her stool and looked at her work. "Well, that wasn't that bad, wasn't it?" she said with a well-deserved smile. Raph gave her a glare. "Delightful," he said dully, but he had to admit it actually felt much better. So he gave her a rare smile. "Thanks."

April answered with one of her own. "You're welcome." She threw away the empty plastic and walked towards the door. "Now you boys behave and keep an eye on your brother. I'm going to check up on Mikey really quick. Call me immediately when something's up."

Although Don really wanted to go to his younger brother himself, he knew he had to stay to see how the cure was developing. In case anything went wrong, he had to be here. Looking at her, he smiled gratefully. "Thanks, April. You're amazing."

"You better remember that," she said with a wink, carefully maneuvering through the door which was hanging by a single hinge. Both Don and Raph watched her go. After a few seconds Raph gave an amused huff. "Yeah, she's cool."

Don nodded in agreement as he looked Raph's arm over, the white sling really contrasting with his green skin, which had bruises and cuts all over. Raph saw him looking. "I'm fine, Donnie. Jus' back off."

Don threw up his hands in defence. "Alright, alright. I'm sorry for caring."

Snorting at the comment, Raph tilted his chin towards him. "Ya betta take care of yerself, genius. Yer side looks like tha friggin' rainbow. Don't ya have some ice fer that?"

Don shrugged and then winced. A little flushed he gave a grin. "Nah, I'm good," he said in a non-convincing voice, making Raph chuckle. "Moron," he mumbled. Giving his immediate younger brother a glance, he stood up. "Broken, cracked or bruised?"

It was silent for a moment. "Honestly, I don't care at the moment, Raph. I appreciate the concern, but -"

"Broken, cracked or bruised?" Raph cut in firmly, looking down on his brother. After an exasperating look, Don opened his mouth reluctantly. "Cracked or broken. I can't say for sure without the proper check up," he admitted. "But whatever's the case... There's not really much to do about it."

"Except fer ice an' rest." Raph walked towards the door. "Watch 'im. Be right back."

Seeing his brother walk out of the room, Don turned on his seat, causing his side to electrify him painfully where he sat. He choked back a grunt before he could find his voice again. "Wait, Raph. I -"

" _Can it, Brainiac!"_ Raph's voice rang from deep into the living room where the entrance of the kitchen was. " _I'm gettin' ya some ice an' there's nothin' ya can do 'bout it!"_

"That's cool! And with that… Can you bring some coffee?" With a small grin, Don turned back slowly, fixating his eyes on Leo again. There was still no change, but that didn't surprise him really much. The cure needed time. Time that was going to be very precious.

Some moments later there was some rummaging as Raph stepped back into the room. "Stupid door," he grumbled. It seemed like he wanted to kick it, but he hold back. Instead he walked up to Don, holding out an ice pack with a kitchen towel around it. "'ere. Use it."

Don gave him a smile and took it. "Thanks, man," he said gratefully, placing the pack on his injured side. He hissed as the cold sensation touched his skin.

"And here," Raph continued, pulling out a bottle of water from his sling and dropped it on Don's lap. A little confused Don looked at it. "Water?"

"Yeah, ta swallow this," Raph answered, holding out his fist. Don opened up his own hand and saw three little pills fall down in his palm. Before he could say something, Raph pointed at them. "I ain't gonna push it, but I know yer in pain. Just take 'em, Donnie." He walked back to his own seat and plopped down again, giving Don a menacing glare. "Or should I help?"

With a small grin, Don shook his head quickly. He dropped two of the pills on the nightstand and threw one in his mouth. Although he really wanted, and needed, all three of them, he knew he had to keep his head clear. So one would have to do right now. With a big gulp from the bottle he downed the painkiller. As he secured the ice pack with his elbow to his side, he screwed the cap back on the water bottle and placed it on the nightstand next to the remaining pills. "Thanks, bro," he said gratefully. Raph nodded with a smile as he tried to relax in his seat. With that they made the silent agreement not to talk about each other's injuries but taking care of their brothers first.

 **I**

Putting his elbows on his knees, Casey laid his head in his hands. His eyes were fixed on the youngest turtle, who was lying so unnaturally still in his bed it made him very anxious. It wasn't particularly the quietness that made him uneasy… It was the very un-Mikey-like expression on the youngest face. Most times when Mikey was in pain or anything he would show some look of discomfort, even unconscious. Now there was nothing - no twitch, no stir, no frown. Casey had never seen Mikey expressionless. This just wasn't right.

Suddenly he felt a familiar hand his shoulder, and immediately he reached out to touch the soft skin. For a few seconds they remained silent, looking over the youngest worriedly.

"Did he wake up yet?" April broke the silence. Casey shook his head. "Nope. Still no improvement." He turned his head to look at her. "How're they doin' back there?"

April leaned forward and put a hand on Mikey's face, stroking her thumb affectionately over his cheek, hoping for any kind of reaction. "Donnie has injected Leo with the antidote. We're waiting for the cure to do its job." She gave a small smile.

"Will 't work?" Casey asked, his eyes almost pleading. After a few moments of hesitation, April breathed out. "The cure will work," she said, avoiding Casey's eyes. Swallowing hard, she continued, "Problem is, we don't know if Leo's strong enough." She moved her hand down so it was half on Mikey's neck, half on his shoulder. She gave him a small squeeze.

Casey rubbed a hand over his face. "Come on, babe. Leo's survived worse. Give him a little credit," he said, trying to sound convincing. Not looking up, April continued to press Mikey's side of his neck. "We're not giving up until Leo does himself."

Casey gave her a frightened, but doubtful look. "Ya think he will?"

Moving her hand to Mikey's other shoulder while avoiding some bandage, she shook her head. "He won't, but unfortunately there's more to it than mentally holding on. His mind may be so strong, but the body can only take so much."

"Man, that sucks," Casey said softly by the lack of other words. He sighed loudly, slightly surprised when a soft moan filled the silent room. When he heard April laugh silently, he looked up, seeing some small movements underneath the thin blankets.

"That's it, Mikey. You're doing great," he heard her say. "Come on, open your eyes for me, please."

Realising what was going on, Casey got to his feet to see it better. Finally, for the first time in a few hours, he saw an emotion on Mikey's face. It was pained and disoriented, but it was there and albeit the whole messed up situation, Casey had never felt so much relief. Heck, was he in for a treat when Leo appeared to be okay too. He allowed himself to smile. "Whaddid ya do?"

Still coaxing Mikey to open his eyes, April ignored him, which Casey completely understood.

"Michelangelo, time to wake up, honey," she said softly, but a little more firmly than before. Whimpering with every exhale, Mikey's face showed signs of great discomfort. Ever-so-slowly, one eye opened a crack, but immediately shut again, followed by a moaning respiration.

"No, no, come on, bud," Casey joined in, putting his hand on Mikey's lower chest and shook him a little. "Wake up."

"Mikey, I need you to look at me, sweetheart," April tried again. Receiving some incomprehensible sounds, Mikey's head lolled to the side and with that he was out again. "Mike?" When the youngest didn't gave a response, she gave a slight disappointed sigh as she moved her hand again to Mikey's head, stroking it gently. "Sleep tight, Mikey. Just wake up soon."

 **00000**

I hope you liked it! If you're missing something, have questions, want something to happen, have ideas, or whatever... Please do tell me. I'll see what I can do!

Peace out and probably till next month!


	8. Chapter 8

Hi there! It's me again. I really hope you still like this story :). Because I can't tell, haha,

For today a little bit more 'action'. Please tell me whether you liked it or not!

 **00000**

 **Chapter 8**

Fumbling with a loose thread from his sling, Raph kept on waiting, although his patience was wearing thin. Just when he wanted to get up to stretch his legs and punch something random, the ragged breathing of Leo suddenly lessened and a mostly silent exhale followed. A little alarmed Raph looked at his older brother, whose painful expression also alleviated. At that moment everything went quiet. "Eh… Does this mean tha cure works?"

With big eyes Don looked down on his older brother as realisation sunk in. "No! No, this shouldn't be happening!" He jumped up and ripped the blankets off Leo, pressing the side of his head against his brother's chest, as his hand reached for Leo's wrist. Listening and feeling intensely, he searched for a beat, a sign of life. One second became ten seconds, but it remained quiet and still. Right before the intuitive panic began, Don stopped himself and let his mind take over. "H-His heart stopped," he announced as he got up from his bend position. Raph looked at the whole scene with more fear in his eyes Don had ever experienced. "Then do somethin'!"

Don placed his hand on Leo's plastron and put his other hand on top of it. "Working on it!" he said in the same tone. With a lot of force he started to give chest compressions, trying to start Leo's heart again. Raph's big scared eyes stared intensely at his brother's chest, while he started pacing to keep himself busy.

"...27, 28, 29, 30," Don whispered to himself, keeping a steady pace. They made it this far, Leo couldn't slip away now. It just couldn't. Leo's supposed to be the one you could built on, to go to when everything seemed hopeless. He would give an extra boost, encourage everyone, despite the messed up situation. He never gave up. And now… "Come on, bro. You can't do this to us," Don begged, still not feeling a heartbeat. Slowly his rational mind became clouded with fear, although he tried to suppress it greatly. "Shell," he cursed, not getting the desired result fast enough. He totally loved being a turtle, but sometimes it was a real curse, like now. Their plastron was so thick, that even forceful compressions probably couldn't get through the layer. Knowing there was only one option left before artificial respiration, he clenched a fist and folded his other hand around it. Hoping for the best, he brought down his hands, which landed hard on Leo's chest. Not getting a response, Don brought up his hands again. The moment Don wanted to try again, there was a harsh choking cough, followed by a raspy inhalation. For an instant everything froze: Don still had his hands in the air, Raph in the middle of taking a step towards the bed. Both looked anxious at Leo, expecting him to stop breathing again. Instead Leo took another breath, followed by a long, albeit still shaky, exhale.

For a full minute the brothers listened to Leo's breathing, as it was the best sound in the whole world. And it was.

"Don?" Raph finally asked to break the silence. Daring to rip his gaze off Leo, Don looked at Raph and gave a quick nod. "I-I think we're good." He put his trembling hands in his neck, trying to calm down his own breathing. "Jeez, Leo. Don't scare us like that," he said with a relieved smile, moving his hand towards Leo's wrist again. Within a second he felt it - a strong, steady heartbeat, ten times better than the irregular beat it was before. Without hesitation he continued to give Leo a full vital check.

Shakily Raph finished his trek back to the cot, feeling extremely relieved. "Good job, Donnie," he praised his younger brother before looking at Leo. "How's Fearless?"

Finishing counting Leo's breathing rate, Don looked up with a puzzled look. "Actually, he's doing pretty good. His heart rate is acceptable, so is his respiration rate." He put a still shaking hand on Leo's forehead. "His temperature did not drop, but that's to be expected. I just want to check his blood pressure. If that's back to something manageable, then I guess the cardiac arrest did the trick."

Thinking Don's words over, Raph nodded glumly. "So he had ta die first, before gettin' better." He paused. "Typical."

Refusing to join the downcast feeling, Don gave a small chuckle. "Come on, Raph. Stay a little positive. Leo didn't die, he just…" He trailed off, searching for words. "... turned off and then on again," he alleviated the tension a bit. Raph shook his head with a smirk. "Yer a nerd, Don. A genius and a hell offa bro, but a nerd."

"As long as my nerdiness can help you guys, I'm cool with that," Don grinned, accepting the compliment. Not getting too comfortable, since anything could happen, he turned back to Leo, deciding his next step. "Can you hand me the sphygmomanometer, please?" he asked. Raph looked at him with a blank expression. "Tha what?"

"The blood pressure meter," Don explained with a light smirk. Raph gave him a look. "Jus' say that in tha first place, smartass," he mumbled, and went to the counter to grab the instrument, which was next to the microscope. With big steps he walked back and handed it to Don, who immediately started to work. "Thanks," he muttered, as he secured the band over Leo's bicep. Making sure the cuff was tight enough, he took the bulb in his right hand and started to pump the air in the cuff. For a little while it was quiet, until Don looked at the tiny dial.

"Hmm.. 168 over 115. Not good, but could be worse," he mumbled, and he reached over to the small table at the side of the cot grabbing the second syringe he had brought with him earlier. Carefully he undid the sterile packing.

"Yeah! Things worked out now, but what if -" Stopping his rambling, he barked out a tired laugh as he realized something. Not too long ago he was reprimanding Mikey for using 'what if', and now he was doing exactly the same. He saw Don look at him puzzled. Shaking his head, he gestured his comment away. "Ferget it. No what-ifs..." He took a deep breath, looking at Leo's face once more, searching for words. "What just happened… Can it happen again?" he asked softly, finally asking the question that haunted his mind for the last couple of minutes.

Don's puzzled look changed into a small sympathetic smile, as he slumped his shoulders a bit. "Well, technically there's always a chance. But with the first results I got back, that chance is almost negligible," he said. "Leo isn't doing great, but it's so much better than before. Even without a medical check-up, you can notice the big differences."

Raph nodded glumly. "So he's good?" he asked, demanding a direct answer. Don noticed. "Yes. For now he's good. Like I said, the chance of another heart failure is almost negligible." He turned Leo's arm on the bed so the inside was on top, before looking up with a smile. "The worst is over, Raph. Things can only go better from now on."

Raph gave a snort. "Since when are ya so extremely positive?" he asked, hoping to hide his emotions. Shrugging indifferently, Don turned his head back and located a vein in Leo's arm. "Someone has to do it," he simply said as yet again a needle pierced the green skin. Immediately he went serious again. "I'm sorry for stinging you so much, bro. But I've got to check your blood levels again." Carefully he filled the syringe with fresh blood.

Looking at it with slight disgust, since he hated needles, Raph scrunched up his face. "Can I do somethin' fer ya?" he asked, hoping to distract himself from the needle. Pressing a small gauze on the needle mark on Leo's arm, Don looked up. "Although I don't want you to go… Can you get April for me? I need her experience to help me with the check-up."

Raph nodded. "Sure thing. She's way more useful than I am anyway," he said, as he took a few steps to the door.

"You're useful in other ways, bro," Don assured him. "I actually need you back here too to keep an extra eye on Leo."

Raph barked out a soft unmeant laugh. "Apparently all I can do is watch. That's just peachy," he said sarcastically. Don looked at him with raised eye ridges. "Dude, you really think so? You -"

"I'm useless in tha medical field, I'm unable ta help ya, I can't help Leo or Mikey.. I'm just freakin' passive when it comes ta actually do somethin'!" Raph spat out, his bottled-up frustration finally reaching the surface.

Don shrugged as he secured the gauze over Leo's arm with a piece of tape. "Well, I never realised protecting your brothers while being outnumbered by an army of armed government agents counted as passive," he shot back. With a fierce stare he looked Raph in the eye. "Seriously, bro. You have no clue how much you're doing and what effect it has so just shut up about it."

Not expected this reaction, Raph gave a semi-amused huff. "Whatever. I'm gonna get April fer ya." He shot Leo one last look, who actually seemed rather peaceful. The freaky ragged breathing was as good as gone and the pained expression on his face had almost vanished. Trusting Don his vitals were starting to be okay too, coupled with the fact that Don said Leo was doing okay for now, he dared to leave the room to get April. And to check up on his little brother, whom he was still very worried about. "Be right back. Yell when somethin' happens… Seriously," he said as he stepped through the door, resisting the urge to completely rip it from its last hinge.

 **I**

Stepping into Mikey's room, immediately gave Raph the chills. It was never quiet in there when Mikey was around. Even asleep he was tossing, turning and mumbling the whole night. This just wasn't right. Walking forward so he was standing next to Casey who was leaning against the comic book-littered desk, he finally looked at the bed. Immediately his heart constricted by the look of his youngest brother. His pale face was in great contrast with the dark purple bruising that stuck out under the white bandage around his head. Although Mikey looked rather peaceful, Raph knew better. He knew his brother, he knew how he acted when he was injured, even unconscious. This wasn't Mikey's typical behaviour. The youngest wasn't doing well and it scared him. "How's Mike?" he asked hesitantly, breaking the silence. Casey gave a shrug. "Okay, I guess."

"Oh yeah, he's lookin' very okay," Raph responded frustrated, pointing at Mikey's silent form. He wanted to open his mouth again, until April stood up from her position on the desk chair and looked at him firmly. "Easy, Raph. Mikey _is_ doing okay for now," she calmed him down. She shifted her eyes towards the bed, looking at the vulnerable turtle as she searched for words. "For a little while I was afraid he might have slipped into a coma, but about forty minutes ago I managed to wake him up for a few seconds. We coul- "

Feeling his frustration transforming into panic, Raph jerked his head to Mikey again. "Coma? Whatcha mean by that?" he interrupted her as he bend his body to give his brother a better look.

"Dude, are ya listening? Mike's okay," Casey pitched in, his voice hard but gentle. "The biggest threat is over according to Ape. But we've gotta keep a close eye on him fer tha next few days though."

April nodded. "Indeed. Although he woke up, I'm still not satisfied. I used pain stimuli by squeezing his trapezium, but we got no real response from him. He woke up a second though, which means it can only get better, but we have to keep stimulating him. Every few hours we have got to try to wake him to see if we can provoke any reaction to us."

Nodding distractedly since he was only hearing half of it anyway, Raph reached out and touched Mikey's cheek. For half a minute it was quiet, until he sighed. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect ya, little brother." He took a deep breath. "It shoulda been me."

"Don't blame yerself, Raph. Shit happens," Casey tried. Still fixated on the youngest, Raph shook his head slowly. "Shit should happen ta me. Not ta him. I'm suppose ta protect him, not tha other way around." Thinking back to the moment Mikey had opened the door of the infirmary to check the noise outside, he suddenly ripped his hand back from Mikey's cheek and slammed it on the nightstand. "He had time ta move!" he yelled. "He could jump out of tha way and move to tha wall! He could…" Trailing off he put his fist to his forehead and rubbed hard. "Instead he kept on standin' there. Takin' tha freakin' blow!" Lowering his hand he looked at the youngest with pleading eyes. "Ya stupid moron," he scolded the youngest, but the affection and concern in his voice betrayed him how he really felt. Sensing a soft hand on his shoulder, he shrugged it off, but was kind of glad he could set his mind on something different. "So how bad is it for real?" he asked blankly. Giving him a sad smile, April shrugged a bit. "It's not great, but now he woke up, even though a second, the immediate danger is over." Seeing Raph's expression didn't change, she tried something else. "I've already ruled out most of the dangers like a life threatening brain contusion or internal bleeding… It would take some time though, but he's going to be okay, Raph."

Instantly Raph turned fully to her, giving her a frustrated look. "How tha heck do ya know?!" he fell out, his eyes narrowing. "How do ya know he's gonna be okay? He's hurt badly and hasn't woke up at all. Yeah, a freakin' second. How do ya know that tha blow didn't do anything with his head? Ever seen a freakin' movie where a guy has forgotten everythin' or becomes a friggin' broccoli just because of a fall? How do ya know…" He breathed out hard. "Just how do you know he's going to be okay? That he's still Mike?"

April swallowed as she looked Raph closely in the eyes. "Raph…" she started as a sad and sympathetic expression filled up her face. "Is that what you're afraid for? That Mikey would change?"

Raph's eyes grew wide for a second. "I ain't afraid!" He clenched his fist. "Just… Just worried." Releasing his grip, he sighed. "Fine, I'm afraid, alright! We almost lost Leo just five minutes ago, and seein' Mike like this… It's a bit too much, I guess." He looked up, seeing the big, scared eyes of the humans in front of him. "Oh, shell…" he mumbled, completely forgotten they hadn't heard the news yet. "Yeah, you're kinda needed in tha infirmary," he said to April. Alarmed the redhead looked at him. "' _Almost lost Leo'_?" she quoted him. "Raphael, what has happened?"

Raph gave her a sideway glance. "To put it in Don's words: 'Leo turned off and then on again'. My words: his friggin' heart stopped for a minute."

"What?!" Casey jumped up. "His heart stopped? He's dead?"

Raph snapped his head to him. "Ya really think I could stand here so calmly if that happened? 'Course not, ya blockhead!" he fell out. Feeling the same soft hand on his shoulder, he calmed down a bit and met April's gaze. "Raph, what happened?" she demanded. Raph heaved a sigh and explained the situation briefly to her, ending with Leo's improved breathing pattern.

"Well, that's good, right?" Casey asked as Raph was finished. Raph gave a shrug. "I guess. Donnie said it was, so I trust him." Casey nodded agreeingly.

"I'm going to the infirmary," April stated and she walked to Mikey's bedroom door. In the frame she stopped and turned around. "You guys take care of Mikey?"

Raph looked at Casey. "Can ya? I need ta go back too," he said, flashing an apologising look at the sleeping turtle. Casey nodded. "No problem, dude. I'll stay."

Giving him a smile, she exchanges looks with both of them. "Just make sure one of you guys stays in case he wakes up. If he won't, try to wake him up in sixty minutes."

"Thanks," Raph answered, changing his sight to April. "Now move it and fix Fearless properly. Tell Don I'm gonna be there in a minute."

With a smile she vanished from the doorway, the clicking of her low heels disappearing out of hearing range soon.

 **00000**

I hope I didn't scare you ;-).

Please, tell me if you want to read something specific in this story - I'll see if I can include it :). Also, I would like to hear your vision on this story, so please tell me what you think, because at this point I don't really know myself... Tell me how to improve! You're my peers, my associates, my companions and my audience. Without you I'm unable to finish this.

Thanks!


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